Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

If you suffer from severe aortic stenosis, you don't have to travel far for innovative heart surgery. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) at Bronson could help you get back to a higher quality of life.

What causes severe aortic stenosis

TAVR is performed to treat severe aortic valve stenosis, a condition associated with heart valve disease when the opening of the valve is narrowed.

Once this occurs, the valve does not open and close properly. This can cause the valve to leak blood. If the valve does not pump blood away from the heart properly, pressure can build up and cause damage. TAVR may be the best option for you because it does not require open-heart surgery which means less recovery time for your body.

Most experienced TAVR team in the region

Bronson Methodist Hospital is the only hospital in the region chosen to offer four approaches for this innovative life-saving procedure:

• Transaortic: Heart valve is placed through a small incision on the upper right side of the chest
• Transfemoral: Heart valve is placed through a blood vessel in the groin
• Transiliac:Heart valve is placed through a small incision in the abdomen
• Transapical: Heart valve is placed through a small incision on the left side of the chest

You can count on us. Our team has a 98 percent success rate for TAVR procedures which is higher than the national average of 92 percent.

How to learn if TAVR is right for you

You may be a candidate for TAVR if you have moderate or severe aortic stenosis. Symptoms of this disease include:

• Shortness of breath with activity.
• Feeling faint or dizzy with activity. Sometimes you may feel faint when sitting.
• Fatigue – feeling tired most of the time. You feel like as if you do not have the energy to do the things you enjoy.
• Pain in your chest with activity. Pain lessens when you rest.

Talk to one of our cardiac specialists if you’ve experienced any of these symptoms and to determine if a TAVR procedure is right for you.

Collaborative team approach

Our TAVR team consists of interventional cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiac anesthesiologists, echo technicians, cath lab staff, cardiac surgery staff and valve program coordinator. Our goal is to develop an individualized treatment plan to achieve the best possible outcome for you.