MercyOne Siouxland Performs 100 Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Procedures

TAVR Team

Recently, MercyOne Siouxland Heart and Vascular Center physicians performed the 100th Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure.  

TAVR is a less-invasive approach to aortic valve replacement than open heart surgery that may be an option if you’ve been diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis. While both types of surgery are excellent solutions for valve replacement, TAVR is typically associated with a faster recovery and shorter hospital stay than open heart surgery.  

During a TAVR procedure, the patient is placed under anesthesia while a catheter delivers a new heart valve through an incision (usually made in the leg). A thin, flexible tube is inserted into the artery to guide the valve up to your heart, and the valve is expanded into place. Your old valve is not removed. Instead, the new valve is placed next to the old valve, essentially pushing the old valve out of the way, and takes over the role of regulating blood flow. A balloon helps the new valve deploy in place, replacing the old, diseased valve.  

“We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone at the MercyOne Siouxland Heart and Vascular Center. Many patients’ lives have been improved and even saved because of TAVR, and we are grateful that we could make that positive impact on their health and in their life,” says Peggy Schenck, Director of the Heart and Vascular Center.