At the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cardiovascular Institute, a structural heart team recently completed the first valve-in-valve procedure using a new transcatheter aortic valve replacement system. This device is designed to treat patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who are at high or extreme risk for open-heart surgery.
The new system provides surgeons with a larger coronary access window and increased space to access a patient’s coronary arteries. This leads to lower mortality rates, lower stroke rates, and overall better patient outcomes. Aortic stenosis is a serious heart condition that impacts the health of thousands of Americans each year, as it narrows the heart’s aortic valves, reducing or blocking blood flow to the rest of the body, potentially leading to death.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive procedure that replaces the thickened aortic valve with a man-made valve, offering an alternative to open-heart surgery. TAVR helps restore blood flow and reduce the signs and symptoms of aortic valve stenosis, often resulting in shorter hospital stays compared to surgical valve replacement.
The UAB Cardiovascular Institute has performed more TAVR procedures than any other hospital in the state. To learn more about their innovative heart treatments, visit uabmedicine.org/heart.
