Innovative valve replacement surgery.
Because you can’t be replaced.
As New Jersey's most extensive health care network, RWJBarnabas Health is one of the state's highest performing health care systems for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). Available at Jersey City Medical Center, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, patients usually go home only a few days after the procedure. Make an appointment with one of New Jersey’s top cardiologists.
What Is TAVR?
Download our heart valve replacement brochure
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) is a FDA-approved treatment for aortic stenosis. During the procedure, a synthetic or artificial valve is collapsed and threaded through a blood vessel, usually through the groin, to the heart. Our expert physicians then use state-of-the-art imaging technology to visualize the valves precise placement and then expand the new valve. It begins to function immediately and works like a normal, healthy valve that allows for proper blood flow through the chambers of the heart. No chest incision is required, resulting in quicker recovery time, less pain, and fewer complications. TAVR patients are often able to return home the following day.
Patient Stories
Helen Blumenthal
Helen Blumenthal, a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) patient,
and Dr. Michael Benz, Director of TAVR and Structural Heart Program at
Jersey City Medical Center, talk about aortic stenosis and the advantages
of TAVR for those whose condition qualify for the procedure.
Paul Russo
At 69 years old, Paul Russo was experiencing worsening shortness of breath
and his physician noticed a heart murmur. He was referred to the Cooperman
Barnabas Medical Center Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
program and was seen in consultation by interventional cardiologist Sabino
Torre, MD, and heart surgeon Arash Salemi, MD.
Joseph Wares
At the age of 67, Joseph Wares did not think much of the heart murmur that
he has had since birth until it began to affect his quality of life. Barely
able to walk up a flight of stairs without gasping for breath, Joe attributed
his shortness of breath to age or the residual effects of a previous surgery.
Neil Granger
Neil Granger, 74, of Jersey City, had known for more than 10 years that
he had a heart problem. It was discovered in 2007 when an echocardiogram
showed that the gate-like valve in Neil’s aorta—the large
blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body—had narrowed.
Agnes Hourihan
When Agnes Hourihan’s heart valve began to fail three years ago,
she dreaded the thought of surgery and enduring a long recovery process
that would slow her down. The active 82-yearold grandmother of 19 always
enjoyed cooking, spending time with her family and taking vacations in
Maine, Vermont and Florida.
Our TAVR Specialists
RWJBarnabas Health gives you access to hundreds of New Jersey’s top cardiologists. Our multidisciplinary TAVR teams are comprised of specialists in all areas of heart care, including cardiac surgeons, interventional cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists and echocardiographers. We have the most experienced TAVR surgeons in New Jersey and our teams have the most experience and produce outcomes that are among the best in the United States.