TAVR Procedure
- The flaps of tissue (valve leaflets) that open and close to regulate the flow of blood in one direction are sewn onto a balloon-expandable stainless steel frame.
- During the procedure, the valve is crimped down to the approximate diameter of a pencil and then delivered into the body via a transfemoral delivery system.
- The delivery system is designed to allow for controlled placement, to minimize impact to surrounding structures within the heart.
- Once in place, the Edwards SAPIEN Transcatheter Heart Valve will function like a normal, healthy valve with proper blood flow.
In November of 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Edwards SAPIEN Transcatheter Heart Valve for the treatment of patients with severe symptomatic native aortic valve stenosis who have been determined by a cardiac surgeon to be inoperable for open aortic valve replacement, and in whom existing co-morbidities would not preclude the expected benefit from correction of the aortic stenosis. The Edwards SAPIEN Valve is the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) therapy approved for use in the U.S., and select hospitals are now performing the procedure on qualified patients.
This transcatheter procedure enables the placement of a collapsible aortic heart valve into the body via the catheter-based RetroFlex 3 transfemoral delivery system, which allows the Edwards SAPIEN valve to be inserted via the femoral artery in the groin. The valve is designed to replace a patient’s diseased native aortic valve without traditional open-heart surgery and while the heart continues to beat – therby the need for cardiopulm bypass is not required.
Call us at 1-732-235-8000 to request more information about transcatheter aortic valve replacement online.
