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Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

Our Approach

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a newer, minimally invasive approach for treating aortic valve disease. The TAVR procedure has expanded the possibilities for replacing the aortic valve, and we continue to help shape its evolution.

For people who cannot undergo surgery to replace narrowed valves, TAVR first provided an effective option where none existed. Recently, it also presented a minimally invasive alternative for people who could endure an operation, but faced moderate risk. Now, we are investigating its possible use in an even wider range of people.

FEATURED

Ask the Heart Expert: Dr. Fearon Explains TAVR for Aortic Stenosis
Stanford patient avoids open heart surgery in aortic valve replacement

WHAT WE OFFER YOU FOR TAVR

  • Deep experience, with our program as the first in Northern California and the second in the state performing TAVR. We complete more than 250 procedures a year, the region’s highest volume.
  • Nationally recognized expertise, with our doctors offering TAVR since its beginning. We have years of experience working with the procedure and contributing to its development.
  • Team approach that includes surgeons with previous valve replacement experience and interventional cardiologists who have mastered minimally invasive treatment. They partner with top imaging specialists.
  • Access to the latest valves by participating in clinical trials. TAVR constantly evolves. We receive valves still being studied, as well as those released in limited quantities upon FDA approval.
  • Additional types of TAVR, with our team often able to do a second procedure when an earlier replacement valve wears out.
  • Active research program, starting with TAVR’s first clinical trials. A Stanford doctor co-authored the paper on TAVR and moderate surgical risk, and we now participate in a study of low risk.

What Is TAVR?

Make An Appointment

To schedule an appointment with the TAVR program, please call 650-725-2687

To schedule an appointment with the Valvular Heart Disease Center, please call 650-723-6459

About TAVR

During transcatheter aortic valve replacement, we thread thin tubes called catheters through an artery in the leg to reach your heart. We place a new valve made from animal tissue, relieving narrowing called aortic stenosis. This approach avoids opening your chest, putting you on a heart-lung bypass machine, or making an incision in your heart.

Until TAVR became possible, open surgery provided the only treatment for severe stenosis. Our team has helped lead three expansions of TAVR’s use, each involving a different group of people and surgical risk:

High-Risk Patients

Many people cannot undergo surgery to replace their valve because they might not survive the operation or might develop other serious complications. This group includes people who are sicker or previously underwent open-heart surgery. TAVR has given them hope.

Moderate-Risk Patients

TAVR recently gained FDA approval for those at moderate surgical risk as well, providing a choice between an operation and catheter treatment. Surgical heart valve repair or replacement can still provide a good option, helping people who may benefit from a longer-lasting mechanical implant. TAVR offers:

  • Less pain immediately after treatment
  • Less scarring
  • Faster recovery

Low-Risk Patients

We now participate in a clinical trial studying whether TAVR’s safety and effectiveness matches an operation for people with low surgical risk.

Our Clinics

Heart Surgery Clinic
Advanced surgical treatment of cardiovascular disease. Our clinical excellence and ground-breaking research makes us one of the top heart surgery programs in the nation.
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RELATED CLINICS

300 Pasteur Drive
 3rd Floor, Clinic A31
 Stanford, CA 94305
Phone: 650-723-6459