Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI / TAVR)

The procedure is conducted in a state-of-the-art Cardiac Cath Lab or hybrid operating room under conscious sedation (local anesthesia) or light general anesthesia. The entire process takes approximately 1 to 2 hours.
1. Vascular Access: The interventional cardiologist makes a tiny puncture, typically in the groin (transfemoral approach) to access the femoral artery.
2. Catheter Tracking: A temporary pacemaker is set up, and a delivery catheter carrying a tightly collapsed prosthetic heart valve is carefully threaded through the arterial network and up into the heart under continuous X-ray guidance (fluoroscopy) and echocardiography.
3. Crossing the Valve: The catheter is carefully passed through the opening of the diseased, narrowed native aortic valve.
4. Valve Deployment: Once perfectly aligned, the new bio-prosthetic valve (made of natural animal tissue mounted on a collapsible metal mesh stent frame) is expanded. Depending on the design, it is either inflated via a tiny balloon or is self-expanding. As it expands, it firmly pushes the old calcified valve leaflets aside, instantly taking over the function of controlling blood flow.
5. Assessment and Closure: The cardiologist tests the new valve using dye injections to ensure zero leakage and immediate blood flow improvement. The catheter is removed, and the small access point in the groin is closed with a specialized vascular closure device.