Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive treatment option for patients with severe aortic stenosis (narrowing of the aortic valve). Emory experts have been offering TAVR since 2007, and have performed this treatment successfully on over 2,500 patients, more than any other provider in the Southeast.
During TAVR, Interventional Cardiologists and Cardiothoracic Surgeons work together to replace the aortic valve with catheters through small incisions most frequently in the groin. This technique is performed without opening the chest as in traditional open heart surgery. This minimally invasive approach allows patients to recover more quickly than open chest procedures, reduces the risk of surgical complications, allows patients to go home sooner than the traditional surgery, and allows the patient to return to baseline more rapidly.
Initially used to treat patients deemed too high-risk for open-heart surgery, TAVR has recently been shown to be highly effective in treating medium-risk patients. Emory is a nationally recognized academic center of excellence and offers a vast array of novel technologies and treatment options through FDA approved transcatheter therapies as well as clinical trials. Emory is now offering TAVR to patients of low surgical risk within the PARTNER III clinical trial.