TAVR: Aortic valve replacement without open-heart surgery

There has been a flurry of news recently about a procedure called trans-catheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for the treatment of the common heart condition aortic stenosis (AS). You may even know people who have had this procedure performed. What exactly is TAVR? And what’s all the excitement about? What is aortic stenosis? First, it’s important to understand the condition that TAVR is designed to treat, aortic stenosis. The aortic valve is the last structure of the heart through which blood passes before entering the aorta and circulating throughout the body. The aortic valve has three flaps, called leaflets, that open and close. When working normally, the aortic valve opens to allow blood to pass from the heart into the aorta, then closes to prevent blood from flowing back into the heart. Over time, calcium deposits can develop on the leaflets of the valve, making it more difficult for the valve to open. This puts additional strain on the heart, which can lead to symptoms such as shortness of breath, lightheadedness, or chest pain with exertion. In severe cases, AS can lead to weakening of the heart muscle. If left untreated, the condition can be fatal. Open heart surgery: Traditional treatment of aortic stenosis Once AS is diagnosed and symptoms are present, it needs to be treated. The historical gold standard for treatment of AS has been open-heart surgery with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Open heart surgery is a major operation in which the surgeon ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Heart Health Surgery Source Type: blogs