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Smaller Hospitals Press for Chance to Offer Heart-Valve Procedure

A battle has broken out among doctors, hospitals and medical-device makers over whether an increasingly popular but risky medical procedure for replacing defective heart valves should be offered more widely.

The fight is over which hospitals can get paid by the federal government to perform the procedure, often referred to as TAVR, for transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Currently, bigger hospitals that perform the procedures more frequently are favored under federal reimbursement policies—based on studies linking volume to quality—while smaller hospitals have a tougher time meeting the rules to start or maintain TAVR offerings.

TAVR has transformed treatment of certain…

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Featured

 Tens of Thousands of Heart Patients May Not Need Open-Heart Surgery

Replacement of the aortic valve with a minimally invasive procedure called TAVR proved effective in younger, healthier patients.

Articles of Interest

Fifteen Years of TAVR; Where Are We Now?

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), first performed in 2002,First reserved for patients at high surgical risk or inoperable, TAVR has been expanded to patients with symptomatic intermediate-risk and looks to continue to move down the scale to patients at lower risk.

High Risks And Rewards Found With Heart Valve Device From Edwards And Medtronic

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is one of the most important advances in cardiovascular medicine in recent years. TAVR devices, introduced recently in the US by Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic, are associated with very high risks, but offer a less invasive alternative to traditional aortic valve replacement surgery. Because of early concerns about potential overuse and misuse of TAVR, many observers have been eagerly awaiting information about its use in the real world.

Less-Invasive Treatment Yielded Similar Outcome as Open-Heart Surgery, Study Finds

A minimally invasive procedure to repair diseased heart valves delivered about the same health outcomes for patients as open-heart surgery, a result doctors say could widen use of the new procedure.

Procedure makes heart valve replacement safer for high-risk patients

Scientists developed a novel technique that prevents a rare but often fatal complication during transcatheter aortic valve replacement. The technique may increase treatment options for high-risk patients who need heart valve procedures.

Questions About a Popular Heart Procedure

Enter a newcomer, transcatheter aortic valve replacement. T.A.V.R., as it is known, involves a catheter, usually inserted through the groin, that delivers a new valve without a big incision and sometimes without general anesthesia.

Replacing a Heart Valve Without Opening the Heart

It's almost unbelievable, in the past, replacing the aortic valve meant a long recovery of at least 9 -12 months before a person felt like themselves again, yet this man got a new valve in a few hours from a catheter passed up through his leg. He'll be home in about three days and when he gets there, he'll be able to walk across his living room without having to stop and reach for a chair to steady himself and take a few deep breaths like he was climbing Mt. Everest. He'll be able to participate in life and not watch from the sidelines.

TAVR Success Tied to Experience With SAVR

Following the introduction of TAVR programs, hospitals with higher SAVR-related fatalities also had higher short- and long-term TAVR-related deaths.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Physician-Patient's Story

Until several months ago, I had severe aortic stenosis. Then something remarkable happened. I received a new aortic valve without having my chest opened.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement: History and current indications

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is an effective way to treat patients with symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis who are deemed high risk or inoperable. Current data suggest that the mortality and stroke rates are acceptable compared to surgical aortic valve replacement. There is a possible utility in moderate-risk patients as more data become available.

Warning: Medicare May Be Bad for Your Heart

Aortic valve replacements are superior to open-heart surgery and less risky. So why are they hard to get?

Resources

NewHeartValve.com

The good news is, open heart surgery is not the only way to replace an aortic heart valve. There is a less invasive alternative available for people diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis. This treatment is called transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR for short.

BadAorta.com

Fortunately, new minimally invasive treatments have been developed to help patients with aortic stenosis and literally restore their ability to breath and function again.