TAVR in Washington D.C.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Specialist

TAVR is less invasive than open-heart surgery and the procedure requires the insertion of a catheter into a small incision in the large artery of your leg called the femoral artery. If you you have been diagnosed with a heart condition and would like to discuss the benefit of the TAVR procedure, contact Dr. John Trujillo to discuss your candidacy. Dr. Trujillo is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases, Interventional Cardiology, Echocardiography, and Nuclear Cardiology and specializes in the treatment of complex coronary disease, valvular heart disease, and structural heart disease. To schedule your TAVR consultation at our cardiology clinic in Washington D.C., please call (240) 449-1100 or request an appointment through our secure online form.

What is TAVR?

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive, catheter-based heart procedure performed to replace a thin aortic valve in patients who have aortic valve stenosis. With this condition, the heart valve does not fully open due to the thickening of valve leaflets which slow down the blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body. This can lead to symptoms of chest pain, fainting, fatigue, heart failure and even death.

What Are the TAVR Risks?

Naturally, all medical procedures do not come without risk. Here are some possible risk factors of the TAVR procedure:

• Bleeding
• Issues with blood vessels
• Stroke
• Heart Attack
• Kidney Failure
• Issues with Heart Arrhythmias and/or Pacemakers
• Issues with the valve that was replaced (i.e. if the valve moves out of its place)

Who would benefit from the TAVR procedure?

The TAVR procedure may be the right choice for those patients experiencing:

• signs and symptoms of aortic stenosis such as chest pain, fainting, fatigue, heart failure.
• non-minor complications due to the aortic valve replacement surgery.
• an existing valve that isn’t working well.

What to Expect During Your TAVR Procedure?

A Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure is performed to relieve aortic valve stenosis.

Before the procedure: Your surgeon will perform a thorough evaluation to ensure that you don’t have any risk factors that may affect you during the procedure. He or she may prescribe medication to reduce the risk of infection as a result of the procedure.

During the procedure: General anesthesia used for sedation and other medications used to prevent blood clots are administered through an IV. Throughout your procedure, the surgical team will monitor your heart rate, blood pressure and other changes. Once the new valve is positioned, a balloon on the catheter’s tip is inflated to expand the replacement valve into the appropriate position. Some valves can expand without the use of a balloon. The catheter is then removed and the incision is properly closed.

After the procedure: After the procedure, your surgeon may require you to spend a few nights in intensive care so you can be monitored. Most patients tend to spend two to five nights recovering in the hospital. Your surgeon may also recommend you make changes to your lifestyle such as eating healthy and getting exercise on a more consistent basis.