Bioprosthetic (or tissue) heart valves are often preferred over mechanical valves because they have a lower risk of thrombosis (coagulation or clotting), but they don’t last as long. Over time (approximately 10 to 15 years), the bioprosthetic valve degenerates and eventually fails, requiring the need for replacement. The standard treatment for a failed valve has been surgery, but repeat open-heart surgery carries significant risk, especially for older patients.
For these patients, the TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) option is often chosen because it offers a minimally invasive procedure to patients who previously underwent open heart surgery for a bioprosthetic valve. In the less invasive “valve-in-valve” procedure, a new transcatheter valve is tightly placed into the orifice of the failed surgical valve, pushing the old valve leaflets aside. Learn more: umcvc.org/TAVR
21 июн 2016
