TAVR is a non-surgical method of replacing an aortic valve that has become severely narrowed, a condition known as aortic stenosis.
The INTEGRIS Health Heart Hospital’s Structural Heart Program recently performed its 1000th successful Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) implant since the inception of the program in 2012. This is a significant milestone for the clinic and more importantly – for its patients.
TAVR is a non-surgical method of replacing an aortic valve that has become severely narrowed, a condition known as aortic stenosis. What makes TAVR so appealing is that the aortic valve can be replaced without undergoing open heart surgery, which up until late 2011 was the only means of aortic valve replacement. This less invasive procedure is ideal for patients considered to be either moderate or high risk for open heart surgery.
Prior to TAVR, if surgery was thought to be too risky for a patient, they would be referred to hospice as the disease would continue to progress, and ultimately the patient would suffer heart failure and/or sudden death due to the disease. But now, thanks to TAVR, severe aortic stenosis is no longer a death sentence.
“More and more physicians are referring patients to our clinic as they see the success our patients have experienced with TAVR,” says Ty Beagles, the valve clinic coordinator at INTEGRIS Health. “The procedure not only gives the patient more years to their life, but it improves the patient’s quality of life as well.”
As advances in valvular heart disease therapy continue to move forward, and as the medical community witnesses additional TAVR success in patients whom otherwise would not have had any other options, the procedure will increasingly be part of the leading edge therapies available to patients with severe aortic stenosis.
“Many manufacturers are currently performing clinical trials with patients who are considered low risk for open heart surgery to see how they fare with TAVR compared to patients who undergo open heart surgery,” states Jeff Sparling, M.D., cardiologist and director of the structural heart program at INTEGRIS Health Heart Hospital. “INTEGRIS Health is participating in TAVR research trials and thus far, the preliminary results are promising, meaning TAVR could potentially be an option for anyone with severe aortic stenosis in the future.”
The INTEGRIS Health Heart Hospital’s Structural Heart program provides a complete breadth of services for patients including minimally invasive repair or replacement procedures for all four cardiac valves, cardiac defect closures and treatments for stroke prevention for patients with atrial fibrillation that allow for discontinuation of blood thinners.
The structural heart team at INTEGRIS Health Heart Hospital includes cardiologists George Chrysant, M.D., Bryan Cogar, M.D., Jeffrey Sparling M.D., and Santosh Prabhu, M.D., and cardiothoracic surgeons Marshall Bell, M.D., Craig Elkins, M.D. and David Vanhooser, M.D..
The team is actively enrolling in a number of clinical trials for catheter-based, non-surgical valve interventions, allowing for therapies not yet commercially available in the United States.
