Heart and its Valves

The heart is a muscular organ that beats about 100,000(approximately) a day, It supplies
Oxygen Rich blood to body parts. The blood is pumped through 4 chambers that it consists with the help of 4 valves: The Aortic Valve, The Pulmonic Valve, The Mitral Valve & The Tricuspid Valve.

These valves open and close about 2 million times during the average Lifetime. These valves open when the Heart pumps to allow blood to flow and closes quickly to prevent blood from flowing backward.

These Valves might run into the problems sometimes and can affect overall Health. Two Main
Problems that can be created are:

1) Stenosis: also called Aortic Stenosis, It is basically the narrowing of the Aortic Valve Opening. The reason can be Age, Genetic Predisposition, Rheumatic Fever, Cholesterol, etc. This doesn’t allow the valves to move easily and open properly, this also reduces the pumping ability of the heart to push the blood to your body through the Aortic Valves. This is a severe problem that can cause Heart Attack or Death if not Treated Properly.

2) Regurgitation: This problem occurs when the Valve has been damaged and now the blood
has started leaking backward. This makes it harder for the Heart to Circulate Blood. This is also
a severe problem that can cause Heart Failure if taken lightly or not treated properly.

Symptoms of Aortic Stenosis

If you Suffer From Aortic Stenosis, You may feel,

  • Shortness of Breath
  • Regular Dizziness or Fainting
  • Chest Pains (Increasing Day by Day )
  • Lethargic, Tired, or fatigued
  • You may also notice Swelling in your legs

Treatment for Severe Aortic Stenosis

Unfortunately, though there are many medications available to treat other heart conditions, there is no drug therapy to cure aortic stenosis. For severe aortic stenosis, your doctor may prescribe medicine to make you feel better in the short term, but ultimately you will require intervention. In most cases, surgery is the only alternative.

Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR)

  • This has been the standard treatment for Aortic Stenosis for many years now.
  • This procedure is performed through open surgery or a minimally invasive approach using a smaller cut.
  • The patient’s Breathing & Circulation are transferred to the Heart Lung machine during surgery.
  • The diseased valve is replaced with an artificial valve once the site is accessed.
  • After the surgery, you need to be under observation for more than a week.

    Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

  • It is a minimally invasive Heart Surgery to replace the thickened aortic valve that can’t be opened properly.
  • TAVR helps restore blood flow and reduce the signs of aortic Stenosis, such as Chest
    Pain, Fainting, Fatigue
  •  TAVR is the option for people who are at risk of complications from SAVR.

    TAVR is also called TAVI(Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation)Both TAVI & TAVR
    means the same i.e minimally invasive procedure used to replace the aortic valve in
    patients with aortic stenosis. There is just a key change in nomenclature. Rather than
    transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, the new document now uses
    transcatheter

Benefits of TAVR:

  • Less Invasive than Traditional Surgery: TAVR has many advantages over traditional
    surgery. It’s a minimally invasive procedure that can be done on an outpatient basis,
    requires less time for recovery, and can often be done in an operating room instead of an actual hospital or surgical unit. The heart continues to beat while the replacement valve is being positioned inside the artery and blood flow is not interrupted. That helps you avoid complications from an otherwise risky surgery.
  • Smaller Incision: As during TAVR entire chest doesn’t need to be opened, and the
    patient doesn’t wind up with a long incision that is subject to possible infection. Patient
    having TAVR Surgery faces less discomfort and improved breathing as compared to
    SAVR.
  • Less Time In the Hospital: Patients who went through TAVR need less time for healing.
    They can Be discharged within 3 -5 days or in some cases within 48 hrs also. They can
    return to their routine life soon as compared to traditional surgery.
    Low risk of Complications: TAVR has fewer complications as compared to Traditional
    Surgery. Since the patient’s heart isn’t stopped and doesn’t have to be put on the
    cardiopulmonary bypass machine during surgery, that eliminates one potential area in
    which things can go awry. Also, the procedure carries a lower risk of bleeding during or
    after the surgery

Complications During TAVR:

Complications during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), are rare, but if they ever it does occur, people need to be prepared for such a complication.

  • Stroke
  • Arterial Damage
  • Bleeding Complications
  • Kidney Injury
  • VAlve Infection