Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI)

Treatments | Aortic Valve Repair and Replacement | Endovascular Stent Graft and Hybrid Procedures | Homograft | Minimally Invasive Aortic Surgery | Ross Procedure |
Transcatheter Valve Therapies

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Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is also know as  Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Using an approach similar to the approach used for cardiac catheterization of the coronary arteries, TAVI involves a puncture though the skin into the blood vessels in the groin. A catheter, about as wide as a pencil, is then threaded up through vessels in the leg into the aorta then into the heart.  A special valve is compressed and inserted into position though the tip of this thin catheter.  This approach avoids the need for opening the chest or using a heart lung machine.

Who is a candidate for TAVI? 

Standard surgical aortic valve replacement continues to be associated with high-quality outcomes and remains the gold standard for treatment of severe aortic stenosis.  However,  percutaneous and catheter based procedures are available for patients who are not candidates for surgical replacement. 
 
Candidates for this percutaneous procedure include patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis and are deemed inoperable by a heart surgeon.  "Inoperability" has no single definition but most commonly it is defined as a patient who faces more than a 50% risk of death or severe morbidity following a standard, surgical aortic valve replacement.   

Candidates typically have one or more of the following characteristics:  

• advanced age, 
  
• previous heart surgery, 
  
• COPD, 
  
• diabetes, 
  
• home oxygen dependence,  

• pulmonary hypertension, 
  
• previous radiation to the chest, 
  
• a severely calcified aorta (aka a porcelain aorta), extreme frailty. 

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What are the potential benefits of TAVI?

The New England Journal of Medicine recently reported that, in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who are not candidates for surgery, TAVI (aka TAVR) is associated significantly improved survival, improved symptoms, and improved quality of life compared to standard treatment. In fact, patients undergoing TAVI were nearly twice as likely to be alive at 1 year compared with those who did not.   

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What information is needed before I can undergo the procedure?

Evaluation includes assessment of the aortic valve, peripheral vasculature, aortic calcification, coronary disease, hemodynamics, cardiac function, lung function, and frailty.  

Call our Valve Team at (855) 808-8223 or email ucaorta@surgery.bsd.uchicago.edu for more information.

Preparation

• Preparing for Your Appointment
• Preparing for Your Surgery
• Preparing for Your Hospital Stay
• Things to Consider

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In the News
Team effort key to first post-FDA approval TAVI case in Chicago

Dr. Milner discusses  the benefits of collaboration in the management of aortic disease

The University of Chicago  manages of severe aortic insufficiency in an LVAD patient using a percutaneous approach
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FAQ
What is aortic valve stenosis? Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is a disease of the aortic valve in which the opening of the . . .  
 
How common is aortic valve stenosis?   Approximately 2% of people over the age of 65. . .   
  

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Information for Patients 

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement for Patients Who Cannot Have Open-Heart Surgery (courtesy of Edwards Lifesciences)   

Information for Physicians

Candidacy for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement  Reference Card 

Animation of 
TAVI Procedure

Watch an animation of TAVI 

A Patient Experience with TAVI

Listen to Connie discuss her experience with TAVI.

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Related Links 

• Univ of Chicago first in Chicago to perform post-trial transcatheter aortic valve replacement 
  
• FDA Approval of Edwards SAPIEN Transcatheter Heart Valve (External Site)
• NEJM: Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Implantation for Aortic Stenosis in Patients Who Cannot Undergo Surgery  (External Site)
• First U.S. Transcatheter Replacement of a Pulmonary Valve Performed at University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital
• Animation of transfemoral approach to transcatheter aortic valve implantation.  (Courtesy of Edwards Lifesciences.) [58 seconds]  (External Site)
• Connie describes her experience with aortic stenosis and transcatheter aortic valve implantation
• The University of Chicago announces successful management of severe aortic insufficiency in an LVAD patient using a totally percutaneous approach.