Structural heart

Aortic stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of a heart valve. This narrowing prevents the valve from opening fully, reducing the blood flow from the heart into the rest of the body.

Severe aortic stenosis is a very serious medical condition. Without treatment, half of the people who have symptoms die within an average of two years. It is important to get diagnosed and seek treatment without delay.

Treatment for aortic stenosis varies on how far the heart disease has progressed. If the stenosis is mild, medication may be prescribed. However, as the stenosis gets worse, the diseased aortic valve may need to be replaced.

Symptoms include:

• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness, feeling dizzy or fainting
• Difficulty with exercising

Major risk factors include:

• Increased age
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Smoking

A new procedure, called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), can replace a diseased heart valve without open-heart surgery. If you have been diagnosed with aortic stenosis, you may be a candidate for this procedure.

TAVR does not involve opening the chest at all. It takes place while the patient’s heart is still beating, eliminating the need for stopping the heart and using a heart-lung machine.

For this procedure, the cardiac specialist inserts a small catheter into an artery in the leg or groin and guides it up to the heart. The new valve (which has a balloon on its end and has been collapsed into the tube) is placed inside the diseased valve and inflated.

When the balloon is inflated, the new valve takes the place of the diseased valve. The new valve allows blood to flow from the heart normally.

Unlike open-heart surgery, this minimally invasive treatment results in faster recovery time. Traditional open-heart surgery is still the preferred method of treatment for aortic valve replacement. However, TAVR may be appropriate for patients who are either too sick for surgery or who are deemed high-risk.