Valvular Heart conditions have been traditionally treated by open cardiac surgery. Now, an increasing number of patients are suitable for non-surgical minimally invasive transcatheter treatments such as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI, also known as TAVR) or MitraClip. These procedures can avoid opening the chest and avoid cardiopulmonary bypass.

Aortic Stenosis is a progressive condition that causes chest pain, breathlessness and lightheadedness and occurs when the aortic valve fails due to inability to sufficiently open, typically as a result of hardening and stiffening from calcification. This restricts the flow of blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Replacing the valve is life saving when the condition is severe, in addition to relieving symptoms.

TAVI is performed by replacing the diseased valve, without removing it, with a new valve delivered and positioned via a small opening through an artery, usually in the leg.

More information can be found HERE TAVI procedure | Aortic valve replacement | Eastern Heart Clinic (ehc.com.au)