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 who are 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 who have had a heart attack, are living with a heart condition or are 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.

About Norton Heart & Vascular Institute

About 250,000 people a year in Louisville and Southern Indiana choose Norton Heart & Vascular Institute to treat their heart and vascular conditions. That’s more than any other provider in the area.

All four of Norton Healthcare’s adult acute-care hospitals are accredited by the American College of Cardiology’s Accreditation Services as Chest Pain Centers, with the highest accreditation level possible for facilities able to treat heart attacks.
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, thoracic surgery, electrophysiology, advanced heart failureand vascular surgery.
We offer same-day appointments for new patients.
We have 27 locations in Louisville and Southern Indiana. Telecardiology is offered at more than 30 clinical sites in the region.
Norton Healthcare has four adult-service cardiac catheterization labs, with 14 state-of-the-art rooms. Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Brownsboro Hospital and Norton Hospital have received the highest level of cardiac catheterization accreditation from the American College of Cardiology — offering lifesaving, minimally invasive procedures for diagnosis and treatment.
Our cardiothoracic surgeons and electrophysiologists have more experience than any provider in the area performing hybrid ablation for atrial fibrillation (A-fib). This innovative treatment also can help patients who have had persistent A-fib for more than a year that hasn’t responded to other treatments.
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.