TAVR is a less-invasive alternative to open heart surgery to replace a narrowed aortic valve.

Published: April 5, 2019 | Updated: December 6, 2021

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an alternative to open-heart surgery to replace the aortic valve.

Interventional cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons at Norton Heart & Vascular Institute team up to conduct a TAVR procedure. Performed though a catheter, it requires only a short hospital stay – often just one night. Many patients report improvement in symptoms including shortness of breath and improvement in leg swelling.

At Norton Heart & Vascular Institute, our board-certified and fellowship-trained specialists sometimes use TAVR as an alternative to open-heart surgery. The procedure treats aortic stenosis – a narrowing of the aortic valve – that prevents the valve from opening fully. One in two patients with untreated symptoms of severe aortic stenosis will die within an average of two years.

The TAVR procedure does not remove the damaged valve, but rather implants a replacement in the valve’s place. Once the new valve is in place, it pushes the old valve tissue out of the way and takes over.

Reviewed by Arpit Agrawal, M.D., cardiologist with Norton Heart Specialists.