Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
The aortic valve delivers oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When this blood flow is interrupted for any reason, the following things can happen:
- Shortness of breath (Congestive Heart Failure)
- Loos of consciousness or dizziness
- Heart Attack
- Sudden Death
If the valve in the heart narrows (aortic stenosis) or loses function, a valve replacement is necessary. Rather than performing traditional open-heart surgery, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive approach that delivers a new valve within the diseased valve through a catheter.
Our Structural Heart team of interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons work together to customize your care plan. An appointment with an interventional cardiologist/cardiovascular surgeon requires a referral from your cardiologist or primary care provider.
How it works:
- You will be placed under conscious sedation or general anesthesia and your doctor will make a small incision.
- Your doctor will insert a small tube (about the size of a pencil) to deliver your new valve to your heart.
- The delivery system will inflate a tiny balloon to place the new valve within the old one.
- Your strong, new valve will lock into place and take over the work of pumping blood.
- Your doctor will make sure that it is working properly before removing the tube.