• MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute
  • Doctors
  • Appointments
  • Conditions & Treatments
  • Locations
  • Search
  • Menu
Don’t delay your care! Call 888-354-3422 to schedule a video visit with a specialist today!

Find a doctor or specialist that meet your needs

Need Help? Email [email protected]

Close Menu
    • Find a Doctor
    • Find a Location
    • Request an Appointment
 

Newsroom

For Patients

  • Conditions & Treatments
  • Programs and Services
  • Patient Resources
  • Why Choose Us
  • Ways to Give

For Medical Professionals

  • Careers
  • Educational Opportunities
  • Publications and Case Studies
  • Research
arrow_back Conditions & Treatments

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

Call for an appointment or referral
888-354-3422

email Email a Question
menu Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
  • Overview
    • Who is a candidate for TAVR?
    • What to expect during TAVR
    • Conditions
    • Tests
    • Physicians
    • Locations
  • Overview arrow_forward
  • Who is a candidate for TAVR? arrow_forward
  • What to expect during TAVR arrow_forward
  • Conditions arrow_forward
  • Tests arrow_forward
  • Physicians arrow_forward
  • Locations arrow_forward

Leading the way in this minimally invasive treatment for aortic stenosis

Expert Heart & Vascular Care

Getting the care you need starts with seeing one of our heart or vascular specialists.

Request an Appointment

In the past, medication was the only treatment for severe aortic stenosis, a condition in which the aortic valve is narrowed or fails to open properly. There was little doctors could do for people at high or moderate risk of complications during traditional open-heart surgery if medication didn’t manage their symptoms.

Today, severe aortic stenosis patients have the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure, a minimally invasive procedure to replace a faulty aortic valve that is blocking the flow of blood. We have been a site for every major clinical trial for TAVR since participating in the initial 2007 study of the procedure. Our surgeons perform about 340 TAVR procedures each year, making us one of the top cardiac centers in the country for this revolutionary aortic stenosis treatment.

After testing TAVR’s effectiveness for patients at moderate risk of complications during open-heart surgery, MedStar Washington Hospital Center designed and launched the nation’s first FDA-approved clinical trial in 2016 to evaluate the device’s benefits among low-risk patients. A separate international study of low-risk patients was conducted at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital.

Our pioneering TAVR team includes members from the departments of structural heart and valvular disease, cardiology, cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology. These experts collaborate with one another and with our patients to provide the least invasive and most effective aortic stenosis treatments.

Who is a candidate for TAVR?

TAVR currently is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for people with severe aortic stenosis who:

  • Have been diagnosed with aortic stenosis or another valve disease that causes severe narrowing of the aortic valve
  • Are unable to undergo traditional open-heart surgery
  • Are at high or intermediate risk of complications during traditional open-heart surgery

Members of our TAVR team collaborate to assess every patient individually and determine whether TAVR is the right choice. This comprehensive assessment includes:

  • Consult with a cardiac surgeon: The surgeon will review your health history to determine the best recommendation, whether that is traditional surgery, TAVR or medication.
  • Medical checkup: A doctor or nurse practitioner will ask questions about your heart and overall health.
  • Questions about your everyday life: Do you have limited mobility? Will you have family support during recovery? We ask these questions to get a complete picture of your health and to determine if TAVR is a possible treatment option.
  • Time for questions: You and your family are encouraged to ask questions about your care and treatment options.

Studies have shown that patients achieve better outcomes when they undergo TAVR than they do with medication alone. While this procedure isn’t for everyone, it may offer patients who are too high-risk for open-heart surgery several advantages, including:

  • Faster recovery time
  • Less pain
  • Less trauma to the body
  • Reduced blood loss
  • Reduced risk of infection
  • Smaller, less-noticeable scars

Manage Your Healthcare

Make appointments, review your test results and exchange secure messages with your doctor in the myMedStar portal.

Go to myMedStar

What to expect during TAVR

You may receive local or general anesthesia before the procedure begins. Your doctor will make a small incision in your groin and insert a thin, flexible tube called a catheter into a blood vessel. At the end of the catheter will be a deflated balloon with an artificial valve wrapped around it. The doctor will guide the catheter through the artery to the aortic valve. When it’s in position, the balloon will inflate and the new valve will expand, pushing the damaged valve out of the way. The doctor then will deflate the balloon and remove it and the catheter. The new valve will act as a brace that stays open permanently and restores healthy blood flow.

The procedure lasts 90 minutes to two hours and typically requires a three- to five-day hospital stay. Unlike during open-heart surgery, your breast bone will not be broken. Most patients can resume normal activities soon after they leave the hospital. You’ll likely need to take blood-thinning medications for a while to prevent blood clots after the procedure.

Conditions

Aortic Regurgitation

Aortic regurgitation, also known as aortic insufficiency, is a heart valve disease that occurs when the heart’s aortic valve doesn’t close tightly.

Aortic Valve Disease

Aortic valve disease is a type of heart valve disease that occurs when the valve between your aorta (the largest blood vessel) and the left ventricle (the heart’s main pumping chamber) doesn’t work as it should.

Heart Murmurs

A heart murmur is a swishing sound caused by abnormal blood flow in or around your heart. Often harmless, murmurs can be caused by problems with your heart valves.

Tests

Cardiac Catheterization

Cardiac catheterization is a minimally invasive way to diagnose and treat a variety of heart and vascular conditions by guiding thin, flexible tubes called catheters through blood vessels to problem areas.

Chest X-ray

Chest X-rays use a small dose of radiation to create pictures of the structures inside the chest, including the lungs, heart and chest wall.

Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan

The cardiac computed tomography scan, or cardiac CT, uses X-rays to create three-dimensional images of your heart and blood vessels.

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of your heart.

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

An electrocardiogram, also known as an ECG, measures the heart’s electrical activity.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Magnetic resonance imaging, better known as cardiac MRI, is a combination of radio waves, magnets and computer technology to create images of your heart and blood vessels.

Stress Tests

Stress tests are used to assess how your heart works during physical activity. There are several types of stress tests, including treadmill or bike stress tests, nuclear stress tests, stress echocardiograms and chemically induced stress tests.

Physicians

View all arrow_forward
10 Doctors & Specialists
Dr. Ammar S. Bafi, MD
Dr. Ammar S. Bafi, MD
Valvular Disease Cardiology | Structural Heart Disease Cardiology | Cardiac Surgery
(199)
110 Irving Street Northwest Suite NW Washington, DC 20010
202-877-7464
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Andrew Weidner Ertel, MD
Dr. Andrew Weidner Ertel, MD
Valvular Disease Cardiology | Cardiology | Structural Heart Disease Cardiology | Cardiac Imaging
(137)
110 Irving Street Northwest Suite NW Washington, DC 20010
(202) 877-7777
View Profile
Schedule Appointment
Dr. Christian Charles Shults, MD
Dr. Christian Charles Shults, MD
Valvular Disease Cardiology | Structural Heart Disease Cardiology | Cardiac Surgery
(248)
1830 SUITE 405 Reston, VA 20190
(202) 877-7464
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Michael Fiocco, MD
Dr. Michael Fiocco, MD
Valvular Disease Cardiology | Structural Heart Disease Cardiology | Cardiac Surgery
(158)
3333 North Calvert Street Johnston Professional Building Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 554-6550
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Ezequiel J. Molina, MD
Dr. Ezequiel J. Molina, MD
Cardiac Surgery
(133)
1830 SUITE 405 Reston, VA 20190
202-877-7464
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Hiroto Kitahara, MD
Dr. Hiroto Kitahara, MD
Cardiac Surgery
110 Irving Street Northwest Suite NW Washington, DC 20010
202-877-7464
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Gaby Weissman, MD
Dr. Gaby Weissman, MD
Valvular Disease Cardiology | Structural Heart Disease Cardiology | Cardiac Imaging
(86)
110 Irving Street Northwest Department of Cardiology Suite 6015 Washington, DC 20010
(202) 877-7777
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Jeffrey E. Cohen, MD
Dr. Jeffrey E. Cohen, MD
Cardiac Surgery
110 Irving Street Northwest Suite NW Washington, DC 20010
202-877-7464
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Brian Thomas Bethea, MD
Dr. Brian Thomas Bethea, MD
Cardiac Surgery
3333 North Calvert Street Johnston Professional Building Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 554-6550
View Profile
Request Appointment
Dr. Ricardo Orlando Quarrie, MD, MS
Dr. Ricardo Orlando Quarrie, MD, MS
Cardiac Surgery
3333 North Calvert Street Johnston Professional Building Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 554-6550
View Profile
Request Appointment
loading

Locations

View all arrow_forward
2 locations found
MedStar Union Memorial Hospital
201 East University Parkway Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 554-2266
View Location
Get Directions
MedStar Washington Hospital Center
110 Irving Street Northwest Washington, DC 20010
202-877-7464
View Location
Get Directions
loading
Download our Cardiovascular Performance & Outcomes Booklet!
Download
  • Find a Doctor 
  • Find a Location location_on
  • Request an Appointment today
  • myMedStar lock
  • Don't Show Again Close close
     
     Don't show this to me again
     
    Top vertical_align_top   Quick Tools
     

    MEDSTARHEALTH.ORG

    Request an Appointment
    Call for an appointment or referral
    888-354-3422
    Patients & Visitors
    • Patients & Visitors
      • Doctors
      • Locations
      • Programs and Services
      • Conditions & Treatments
      • myMedStar
      • Patient Resources
      • Patient Stories
      • About Us
      • Why Choose Us
    Medical Professionals
    • Medical Professionals
      • Careers
      • Educational Opportunities
      • Resources
    Research & Resources
    • Research & Resources
      • Cleveland Clinic Alliance
      • Clinical Trials Research
      • Innovations
      • Resources
      • Research and Innovations
    Ways to Give Back
    • Give Back
    Stay Connected

    Stay Connected

    Ride With Uber | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Feedback © 2019 MEDSTAR HEALTH