Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

About Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, is a minimally invasive alternative to open-heart surgery for treating severe aortic valve stenosis, particularly in patients who are elderly or considered higher-risk for conventional surgery. Instead of opening the chest, an interventional cardiologist threads a catheter carrying a collapsible replacement valve through a blood vessel, most often in the groin, up to the heart, where it is expanded and positioned inside the patient's existing diseased valve, pushing it aside and immediately taking over its function. The procedure is usually performed under sedation or light general anesthesia and guided by live imaging, without the need to stop the heart or use a heart-lung bypass machine. Because it avoids a large chest incision, recovery is generally faster than with surgical valve replacement, with many patients mobilizing within a day and leaving hospital within a few days. TAVR is increasingly offered in India's advanced cardiac centers for patients who meet appropriate anatomical criteria, following careful imaging assessment to confirm suitability. International patients typically plan for one to two weeks in India to allow for pre-procedure evaluation, the procedure itself, and a short recovery period before follow-up and travel home.