TAVR Procedure
For patients who need valve replacement, but who are at intermediate- or high-risk for open heart surgery, Med Center Health offers transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), an advanced procedure for valve replacement that helps patients recover and get on the way to a healthier lifestyle faster.
Valve Replacement Surgery Without Open Heart Surgery
TAVR – a revolutionary valve replacement alternative to open heart surgery – is available at The Medical Center at Bowling Green, right here in Southcentral Kentucky. When a patient’s aortic value does not open the way it should, it’s called aortic stenosis. This makes your heart work harder to pump blood through your body, limiting your normal daily activities and overall health.
The FDA has approved TAVR for patients with aortic stenosis who are considered high-risk or intermediate risk for open heart surgery. A patient’s overall health is analyzed to determine proper diagnosis and procedure.
TAVR uses a replacement valve that is designed to work like your own heart valve. But instead of open heart surgery, the valve is implanted using a catheter through an artery that leads to the heart.
Recovery from the procedure is fast and patients should begin feeling better right away since the heart valve is working properly again. It’s not uncommon for patients to be up and walking the next day, and the typical hospital stay is only 3 to 5 days.