Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Acquires TAVR Technology Hospital offers minimally-invasive procedure to replace narrowed aortic valves

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is now offering Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), a cutting-edge minimally-invasive procedure to replace narrowed aortic valves that fail to properly open.
“TAVR is a milestone addition to the cardiology treatments we offer here,” said Rosella Dolan, RN, Cardiovascular Services nurse navigator at Henry Mayo. “We are very pleased to bring this life-changing procedure to our community.”
Valve replacement typically requires an open-heart procedure with a “sternotomy”, in which the chest is surgically opened for the procedure. However, the TAVR procedure can be done through very small openings that leave all the chest bones in place. According to the American Heart Association, “…TAVR utilizes one of two approaches, allowing the cardiologist or surgeon to choose which one provides the best and safest way to access the valve:
Entering through the femoral artery (large artery in the groin), called the transfemoral approach, which does not require a surgical incision in the chest, or using a minimally invasive surgical approach with a small incision in the chest and entering through a large artery in the chest or through the tip of the left ventricle (the apex), which is known as the transapical approach.”
TAVR provides options to people who may not have been considered for valve replacement, as well as those who are in all risk categories. Notably, this procedure likely requires less time in the hospital for recovery.
To learn more about Henry Mayo’s Roberta G. Veloz Cardiovascular Center, please visit www.henrymayo.com/heart.