New Type of Heart Valve Repair

Until very recently, most patients across the United States had only one option for repair of a heart valve: open heart surgery. Though this option saves lives, many patients cannot have this surgery because they are too weak or sick, for example. The specialists at Rex Healthcare are bringing a new type of heart valve repair to the residents of Wake County and surrounding areas. Rex is proud to say that we assembled the first team in the county to provide this new option for care.

The new procedure is called “Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Replacement,” or the TAVR procedure. It was approved for use by the Federal Drug Agency (FDA) in late 2011.

Learn More:

• The Valve Replacement Team at Rex
• Open Heart Surgery at Rex

During the TAVR procedure, a team of experts replaces the heart valve using highly advanced techniques and equipment.

“TAVR” is short for Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Replacement. “Aortic” refers to the main artery in the heart. “Trans-catheter” refers to using small tubes, or catheters, to thread very small surgical tools to reach the heart. Specialists who perform this procedure include cardiac, or heart, surgeons and interventional and non-interventional cardiologists.

"Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Implantation," or TAVI, is another common name for the same procedure.

Who needs the advanced TAVR procedure?

Aortic stenosis, or aortic valve stenosis, is a heart condition where the opening of the aortic valve is too narrow. This valve is in the major blood vessel of the heart. Most patients who have aortic stenosis need to have the valve replaced.

To replace the valve, open heart surgery is still the first choice for most patients. But for those who cannot have open heart surgery, the TAVR procedure is the latest and most advanced option. It some cases, it is the only option. So the team at Rex Healthcare is proud to be the first to offer it to our communities.