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.
