TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) for Aortic Stenosis

TAVR: A Less Invasive Option for Aortic Stenosis

Specialists at Norton Heart & Vascular Institute, the leading cardiovascular care provider in Louisville and Southern Indiana, have deep experience performing the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure to relieve aortic stenosis.

While TAVR once was viewed as an alternative only for inoperable cases of aortic stenosis — a narrowed heart valve that has become calcified and rigid — the team at Norton Heart & Vascular Institute now performs the procedure regularly as an alternative to open heart surgery. If the condition is left untreated, about half of patients with symptoms of severe aortic stenosis will die within an average of two years.

TAVR Procedure

The minimally invasive TAVR procedure is performed though a catheter inserted into a blood vessel in the groin and with advanced imaging guided to the heart. Doctors may sometimes use other approaches to access your heart. The TAVR procedure does not remove the damaged heart valve, but implants a replacement valve made of cow or pig tissue into the valve’s place. Once the new valve is guided into place, a balloon is expanded and presses the replacement valve into the damaged valve.

Norton Audubon Hospital is recognized as earning the American College of Cardiology’s Transcatheter Valve Certification for its demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating patients undergoing transcatheter valve repair and replacement procedures.

Benefits of TAVR

The Norton Heart & Vascular Institute team of interventional cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and a TAVR nurse navigator work together to determine whether TAVR is the best option for you.
You’ll have a short hospital stay, typically just overnight.
Many patients report improvement in symptoms such as shortness of breath and leg swelling shortly after the TAVR procedure.
No stitches needed.
Typically, you can return to normal life and activities after the procedure.

Heart and Vascular Care for the Whole Person

Norton Heart & Vascular Institute offers patient resources to support you and your family, including free classes for people of all ages seeking to improve cardiovascular health or living with a heart condition.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

Our cardiac rehabilitation providers are leaders in developing and applying innovative techniques that can help you recover and resume your life.

Connecting Hearts Support Group

The group provides education and support to individuals after a heart attack, living with a heart condition or at risk for cardiovascular disease.

Heart Health Screenings

Prevention is the best way to manage heart disease, and screenings are available to detect early signs of cardiac and vascular disease and identify risk factors.

Classes and Events

Norton Heart & Vascular Institute offers classes about once a week on a broad range of heart health topics including cooking classes, atrial fibrillation (A-fib) and heart failure education workshops, and more.

Norton Healthcare Heart and Vascular Institute

About Norton Heart & Vascular Institute

Norton Heart & Vascular Institute specialists treat more people for heart and vascular conditions — about 250,000 every year — than any other provider in Louisville and Southern Indiana.

Norton Healthcare’s four adult-service hospitals are American College of Cardiology accredited Cycle VI Chest Pain Centers — the highest level of expertise to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack.
We have more than 50 board-certified cardiovascular physicians and 35 advanced practice providers. Through training and years of experience, they specialize in areas such as cardiology, interventional cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, electrophysiology, advanced heart failure and vascular surgery.
We offer same-day new patient appointments.
We have 27 locations in Louisville and Southern Indiana. Telecardiology is offered at more than 30 clinical sites in the region.
We have the experience, expertise and easy access you’d expect from the largest cardiovascular care provider in Kentucky.
Norton Healthcare is the only health care system in Kentucky to receive the prestigious Mission Lifeline: Regional Trailblazer Award from the American Heart Association for being an innovator in creating a system of care for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) heart attacks — the most severe type of heart attack.