New method to perform aortic valve replacement proves effective in high-risk patients. The findings may increase less invasive treatment options for patients with life-threatening heart disease.
A new, less invasive method has been developed to perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a procedure widely used to treat aortic valve stenosis, a lethal heart condition.
The new approach, called transcaval access, will make TAVR more available to high-risk patients, particularly women whose femoral arteries are too small or poorly placed to withstand the standard procedure.
Source: NIH / National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute