TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT

Course overview

SURGICAL AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT HAS BEEN THE STANDARD TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS WITH SEVERE SYMPTOMATIC AORTIC STENOSIS (AS). PREVIOUSLY, PATIENTS DETERMINED TO BE AT HIGH RISK FOR SURGERY COULD ONLY BE OFFERED DIURETICS AND BALLOON VALVULOPLASTY WHICH SERVED AS PALLIATIVE TREATMENT AND HAD NO EFFECT ON LONG-TERM OUTCOMES. THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT (TAVR) HAS EMERGED AS A LIFELINE FOR PATIENTS CONSIDERED TO BE INOPERABLE PROVIDING BOTH AN IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOMS AND STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT MORTALITY BENEFIT. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT OF AORTIC VALVES USING TAVR AND DISCUSSES THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING AND TREATING THIS CONDITION.