You may feel overwhelmed if you have been recently diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis and this can make it harder to take the step toward treatment. But the sooner you seek care, the quicker you will be able to get back to life and all the things you love.
There is a severe aortic stenosis therapy available that may help you get back on your feet faster. It’s called TAVI, also called TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement), and it is a less invasive procedure that is designed to replace a diseased aortic valve.
This procedure used to only be available for people who were too weak to undergo open heart surgery. But now, any severe aortic stenosis patients who are experiencing symptoms should be considered for TAVI. Only a Heart Team can tell you if it is right for you.
Your doctor will perform the procedure at a hospital. Depending on your health, they will determine what type of anaesthesia is best for you. You may be fully asleep, or you may be awake but given medication to help you relax and block pain. Your heart will continue to beat during the procedure. This is quite different to open heart surgery, in which your heart will be stopped, and you will be placed on a heart and lung blood machine .
TAVI is different from open heart surgery in that it uses a less invasive approach to treat a diseased aortic valve. Your doctor will determine the best approach for replacing your valve, but the most common technique involves a small incision made in the leg. This is called the transfemoral approach.