Transcatheter aortic valve replacement | |
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![]() Interventional Cardiologist positioning a TAVI device in patient. | |
Specialty | Interventional cardiology |
Complications | Stroke risk is 4-5% higher in the high-risk patients compared to SAVR[1] |
Outcomes | Successful rate: 92%.[1] |
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is the implantation of the aortic valve of the heart through the blood vessels without actual removal of the native valve (as opposed to the aortic valve replacement by open heart surgery, surgical aortic valve replacement, AVR). The first TAVI was performed on 16 April 2002 by Alain Cribier, which became a new alternative in the management of high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis.[2][3] The implantated valve is delivered via one of several access methods: transfemoral (in the upper leg), transapical (through the wall of the heart), subclavian (beneath the collar bone), direct aortic (through a minimally invasive surgical incision into the aorta), and transcaval (from a temporary hole in the aorta near the navel through a vein in the upper leg), among others.
Severe symptomatic aortic stenosis carries a poor prognosis. At present, there is no treatment via medication, making the timing of aortic valve replacement the most important decision to make for these patients.[4] Until recently, surgical aortic valve replacement was the standard treatment for adults with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. However, the risks associated with surgical aortic valve replacement are increased in elderly patients and those with concomitant severe systolic heart failure or coronary artery disease, as well as in people with comorbidities such as cerebrovascular and peripheral arterial disease, chronic kidney disease, and chronic respiratory dysfunction.