Take Control of Your Options. Learn if TAVR is Right for You

Receiving news that you’ve been diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis and may need your aortic valve replaced can be scary. You may wonder if you will be able to participate in your favorite activities, eat the same foods, or approach life in the same way.

Although these feelings can be overwhelming, it is important to talk to your doctor about all of your treatment options, especially if you are experiencing symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath. These symptoms of aortic stenosis may mean your condition is getting worse and you need to seek treatment right away.

The good news is, open heart surgery is not the only way to replace an aortic heart valve. There is a less invasive alternative available for people diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis. This treatment is called transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR for short. This procedure used to only be available for people who were too weak to undergo open heart surgery. But now, TAVR is available to more people depending on their risk for open heart surgery. The procedure may also be an option for people who had their aortic valve replaced in the past, but need a new one because the replacement valve may no longer work.

How to Get a TAVR Evaluation

TAVR is giving new hope to people suffering from severe aortic stenosis who are at increased risk for open heart surgery. To see if the procedure is right for you, seek out expert care from a TAVR Doctor who can evaluate you for all of your treatment options.  

Your TAVR Doctor will run several tests to determine the best treatment plan for you and to evaluate if you are a TAVR candidate. Some of these tests include:

In some cases, you may have already taken some of these tests. However, it may be important that the tests be taken again at the request of your TAVR Doctor.

Although it may feel like a lot of appointments, it’s important because your TAVR Doctor wants to make sure they are recommending the best treatment option for you. This may involve a longer evaluation process, but your life is worth it.

Factors that Determine if You’re a Good TAVR Candidate

Your TAVR Doctor will decide the best way to replace your heart valve and if TAVR is the right treatment path for you.

Your personal health history will be needed to determine your best treatment option. Be sure to tell your doctor if you have a history of any of the following:

  • Stroke
  • Atrial fibrillation (AFib)
  • Prior open heart surgery
  • Fatigue (low energy)
  • Peripheral vascular disease
  • Frailty (weakness)
  • Fainting
  • Prior chest radiation
  • Coronary artery disease
  • COPD
  • Kidney failure
  • Diabetes
TAVR procedure candidate infographic

Why More Patients are Asking for a TAVR Evaluation

The idea of open heart surgery to replace an aortic valve can feel scary. Luckily for more and more patients, the less invasive TAVR heart procedure may be an option.

Unlike open heart surgery, in which an incision is made across the full length of your chest to remove the unhealthy valve, TAVR uses a catheter to implant a new valve within your diseased valve. TAVR can be performed in multiple ways but the most common is through an incision in the leg.

With this less invasive valve procedure, people may return to daily activities sooner than with open heart surgery. The procedure may shorten the aortic valve replacement recovery time, which is why more patients are talking to their doctor about it.

Other TAVR benefits include:

  • Improved quality of life following the procedure, including the ability to return to normal daily activities

  • Short hospital stay

  • Relief of symptoms

  • Reduced pain and anxiety

  • Improved heart function

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