TAVR – Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement at Mary Washington Hospital
TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) is a minimally invasive surgical
heart procedure to replace a narrow aortic valve. This method is for people
with aortic stenosis who can't have regular open heart surgery. Surgeons
use a thin tube called a catheter to guide an artificial heart valve through
the carotid artery to the heart. They place the new valve inside the patient's
own heart valve, allowing it to restore blood flow.
Because it's less invasive, recovering from TAVR is usually quicker and
has fewer problems compared to regular heart surgery. You might stay in
the hospital for 3–5 days after the procedure. The risk of having
a stroke or other issues are similar to regular valve replacement surgery.
Your doctor can talk to you about the best choices for your situation.
Mary Washington Hospital’s Cardiac Hybrid Room, designed specifically
for TAVR procedures, combines equipment and features found in conventional
operating rooms with state-of-the-art imaging technology. The future of
cardiac care is in Fredericksburg, now.
Collaborative Heart Care Team
Mary Washington Hospital’s Structural Heart & Valve Clinic Team
consists of specialists with various areas of expertise that review each
patient’s tests and results to develop a customized treatment plan
John Cardone, MD, and Alex Na, MD, cardiothoracic surgeons, and interventional
cardiologists, Arijit Chanda, MD, Micaela Iantorno, MD and Samad Zaheeruddin,
MD, work with cardiologists and primary care physicians in the region
to make this life-saving treatment option available to qualified patients.
The Mary Washington Healthcare TAVR Team also includes:
Anesthesiologists
Nurse anesthetists
Cardiac cath lab technicians and nurses
Cardiac surgery nursing team
Perfusionists
Cardiac surgical assistants
Echo technicians
A multidisciplinary heart team reviews patient test results in cooperation
with the patient’s cardiologist or referring physician to determine
the right treatment plan, which may include Transcatheter Aortic Valve
Replacement (TAVR), surgical aortic valve replacement or medical therapy.
Also, a dedicated valve clinic coordinator assists potential patients with
navigating the evaluation and testing process and facilitates the recommendations
of the collaborative heart team and referring cardiologist.
Contact your cardiologist with additional questions or for a referral to
one of our surgeons.
