St. Luke's Heart Valve Clinic

TAVR
Traditionally, when a person is diagnosed with aortic stenosis, open heart surgery was the only option to treat this disorder. We now have new less invasive valve replacement options to treat diseased aortic valves. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was initially approved by the FDA in 2011 as an alternative to open heart surgery in patients who were high-risk for surgery. Continued advancements in this technology and excellent results allowed for FDA approval for its expanded use in patients who are at intermediate or medium risk for valve replacement surgery.

The TAVR procedure involves an interventional cardiologist and cardiothoracic surgeon working together to replace the aortic valve using catheters through a small incision from the leg artery or in the chest wall. The St. Luke's team currently use the Edwards Sapien 3 valve which has the lowest valve delivery profile of commercially available transcatheter valves. Unlike traditional surgery, the heart is not stopped or put on a bypass machine, which has resulted in shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery times.

The St. Luke's TAVR team performed their 500th TAVR procedure on April 5, 2022. St. Luke's Hospital received a 3-star rating from the TVT Registry, a benchmarking tool developed to track patient safety and real-world outcome related to the TAVR procedure. Only 8% of the programs in the country receive a 3-star rating.

Learn More
The TAVR procedure
Aortic stenosis
Aortic stenosis - illustration

Patient Videos
Patient Videos
TAVR Procedure Videos

To schedule a new patient or to be evaluated for this procedure, please call our Valve Coordinator, Mary Petersen, RN, at 314-205-6396 or email her at Heart.Valve@stlukes-stl.com.