Inoperable Severe Aortic Stenosis
If you have aortic stenosis, your aortic valve can’t open all the
way, and not enough blood can flow through it. This causes your heart
to work harder to pump enough blood through the body. This can lead to
heart failure and other symptoms. In some cases, other medical issues
are also present, making surgery more difficult.
Treatment Options
The best way to treat aortic stenosis is to replace your aortic valve;
however, some patients with aortic stenosis cannot be treated with traditional surgery.
Hoag is the first and only center in Orange County to offer a new procedure
for people who need aortic valve replacement but can’t have open
heart surgery; it's called
transcatheter aortic valve replacement. This surgery is unique because a team of doctors works together to replace
your valve: cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, echocardiologists,
cardiac anesthesiologists and cardiac surgeons. This procedure is performed
in Hoag's specially designed hybrid operating room. This room has
the most advanced robotic imaging and communications technology to support
this type of procedure.
During transcatheter aortic valve replacement, instead of opening up your
chest, your doctors replace your aortic valve using a catheter. On the
tip of this catheter is an artificial aortic valve that is collapsed,
as well as a balloon that can be inflated and deflated. The catheter is
inserted into an artery in your upper thigh, and your doctor threads it
up to your heart. Your doctor then places the catheter within your own
aortic valve. Next your doctor inflates the balloon on the catheter, which
opens the artificial valve so it sits in place. He then deflates the balloon
and removes it and the catheter from your body. This artificial valve
starts working right away. And because this is a minimally invasive way
to replace your aortic valve, it offers the following benefits: shorter
recovery times, shorter hospital stays, less pain after surgery, and a
smaller scar.
Learn more about Hoag's innovative TAVR procedures