Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

About Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement, known as TAVR or TAVI, implants a new aortic valve through a catheter without opening the chest or stopping the heart. It is used to treat severe aortic stenosis. A collapsible valve mounted on a frame is most often guided through the femoral artery in the groin to the heart under imaging, then expanded inside the old valve, pushing the diseased leaflets aside. Alternative access routes are used when the leg arteries are unsuitable. The first human implantation was reported in the early 2000s, and the procedure was initially offered to patients considered too high risk for open surgery. Large randomized trials later supported its use in broader groups, and it is now a common way of treating aortic stenosis in older adults. The procedure is planned by a heart team that includes cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, who weigh anatomy, age, frailty and other conditions. It is often performed with sedation rather than general anesthesia. Questions about the long term durability of transcatheter valves compared with surgical valves remain an area of ongoing study.