Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a new treatment option for people with severe aortic stenosis who cannot undergo surgery
WINSTON-SALEM, NC – Cardiologists and cardiac surgeons at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center are now performing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with the Edwards SAPIEN valve, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in November, 2011. Earlier this month, doctors successfully performed two procedures; both patients are recovering and are in good condition.
"This procedure truly is a life-saver," said Robert Preli, MD, a cardiologist with Forsyth Medical Center. "For years we've seen patients with severe aortic stenosis and there were few effective treatment options. Now with TAVR, we can offer these patients an option that can significantly improve their quality of life."
TAVR is a new, non-surgical treatment option for people with severe aortic stenosis (narrowing of the heart valve), who are not eligible for aortic valve replacement surgery. It's considered a hybrid procedure and is performed by both an interventional cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon. They create a small incision in the groin and feed a wire mesh valve through a catheter from the femoral artery in the leg to the heart. The procedure is performed while the heart is beating and eliminates the need for traditional open heart surgery, which requires a surgeon to cut through the breastbone, stop the heart, and remove and replace the existing valve.
"This innovative type of hybrid procedure likely represents the future of heart care," said David Duncan, MD, a cardiac surgeon with Forsyth Medical Center. "This is the latest technology has to offer and as we improve this technology over time, it'll be more broadly used and will benefit high-risk patients by offering them more treatment options."
Before the FDA approval of TAVR, non-operable or high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis were limited to either being treated with medications or undergoing procedures to temporarily open their valves. Stenosis restricts blood flow to the heart and, without valve replacement, can lead to death. Fifty percent of patients will not survive more than an average of two years after the onset of symptoms. In the U.S., up to 1.5 million people a year suffer from aortic stenosis and about 500,000 have severe stenosis.
Novant Health is proud to be a leader in cardiac care. In 2011, Forsyth Medical Center and Presbyterian Medical Center affiliated with Cleveland Clinic, which was a site for Edwards' TAVR clinical trial. Last year physicians at Presbyterian Medical Center performed the first TAVR procedures in the Carolinas.
The Heart and Vascular Institute at Forsyth Medical Center is recognized as a certified chest pain center by the Chest Pain Society, was the first hospital in North Carolina to earn advanced heart failure certification from The Joint Commission, and has earned the Society of Thoracic Surgeon's 3-Star rating representing the highest quality rating for heart surgery.
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