TAVR

The Rochester Regional Sands-Constellation Heart Institute is a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) center. TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure for people who have been diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis (narrowing of the heart valve opening) and are considered either high-risk or too sick for open heart surgery.

Are you a candidate for TAVR?

• Age
• Current health status
• Medical history
• Your frailty
• Condition of your heart

How it works

The Rochester Regional heart team reviews various tests, such as a chest x-ray, echocardiogram, angiogram, etc., to determine the best TAVR approach for you. Then, a catheter is inserted into an incision in either the leg, between the ribs or in the chest and a new valve is inserted within the diseased aortic valve. The inserted valve is crimped onto a balloon and is expanded to push the leaflets of your diseased valve aside.

Meet John Wood, he was the first person in New York State to undergo TAVR surgery and leave the hospital in the same day.