Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an innovative procedure for patients who have aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the heart’s aortic valve opening. Conventional open heart surgery requires the entire chest to be opened up, but TAVR replaces damaged heart valves using a minimally invasive procedure. This means you can expect less pain, less scarring and a faster recovery than conventional open heart surgery. Because it is minimally invasive, TAVR offers new hope to patients once regarded as too sick for conventional surgery.

How is TAVR performed?

The procedure is performed by our specially trained TAVR team of cardiologists, interventional cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons. It is performed in a special operating room called a hybrid operating room. This state-of-the-art area is an operating room with the added advantage of extensive imaging.

• A small tube, called a catheter, is inserted into an artery. The catheter has a specially designed artificial valve attached to it, which replaces the damaged valve.
• A small incision, usually in the leg, is made to allow entry into the artery.
• Special imaging equipment guides the valve through the artery and into place.
• Once in place, the new valve expands, pushing the diseased valve aside and restoring proper blood flow through the heart.

Benefits:

• Shorter hospital stay
• Less trauma to the heart muscle tissue
• Quicker overall recovery time
• Lower risk of infection
• Significantly less blood loss compared to conventional open heart surgery
• Less pain