TAVR for Aortic Stenosis Treatment in Paducah, KY
Baptist Health Paducah: TAVR for Aortic Stenosis Treatment
TAVR is a lifesaving procedure in which a new aortic valve can be placed through a number of access vessels. Learn more about aortic stenosis treatment from Baptist Health.
TAVR for Aortic Stenosis Treatment in Paducah, KY HealthTalks Transcript
Austin Ward, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery:
Valvular heart disease, and specifically aortic stenosis, occurs more and more frequently as the population ages. Unfortunately, if somebody has severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, their life expectancy is only one or two years.
Traditionally, a TAVR procedure is performed by placing a new aortic valve through the femoral artery in the groin. Unfortunately, because of the same reasons that people have aortic valve disease, they often have plaque and disease in their femoral arteries, making them unsuitable for a TAVR through their femoral artery.
Gail Baldwin, patient:
They had told me they would go through my groin to replace the valve. I told them, “I’d rather you went through the neck,” but nobody did that. Well, Dr. Ward came in and talked to me and he said, “I’d do it through the neck. Would that be okay with you?” And I thought, “Of course. That’s really what I wanted.”
Dr. Ward:
We can use many different access vessels to place the TAVR valve, including the carotid artery, the axillary artery, and even the apex of the heart, so that we can offer this lifesaving treatment despite disease in the femoral arteries.
Baldwin:
Dr. Ward — he is great. I wish God would make more of him. When we first met him, he sat down with us and he drew pictures and everything. He explained everything. He made me feel good. He made me feel like everything’s going to be fine.
Dr. Ward:
I’m proud to be a part of a team who can assess people and offer a personalized, right choice for each individual patient and their individual anatomy.
