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Get yours todaySEVERE AORTIC STENOSIS,
ISN'T HOW
I GO OUT
I GO OUT
RICK|REAL TAVR PATIENT AND CARDIAC SURGEON
Watch his story
Is medication an effective treatment?
Medication alone will not treat severe aortic stenosis, also known as heart valve failure. While your doctor may prescribe medication at first to control your symptoms, it will continue to get worse until you replace your aortic valve.
Take action with TAVRKnow Your Treatment Options
Heart valve failure may sound scary, but it’s treatable, and you should know your options.
TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) and SAVR (surgical aortic valve replacement), also called open heart surgery, are both ways to replace your heart valve. They reduce your risk of death from heart valve failure and provide relief from your symptoms. They each have their own key differences.
Is TAVR Open Heart Surgery?
- TAVR is not open heart surgery
- TAVR does not involve opening the chest
- The average TAVR procedure takes about 1 hour
- Most TAVR patients are up and walking in just a few hours
- Most TAVR patients return home the next day and have a short recovery time, getting them back to everyday activities quickly
On average, the TAVR procedure lasts about 1 hour, vs 4 hours with open heart surgery.
TAVR vs Open Heart Surgery*
| TAVR | SAVR | |
|---|---|---|
| SHORT PROCEDURE TIME | ||
| SHORT RECOVERY TIME | ||
| SHORT HOSPITAL STAY | ||
| LESS PAINFUL PROCEDURE | ||
| RELIEF OF SYMPTOMS | ||
| IMPROVED LIFE EXPECTANCY | ||
| IMPROVED HEART FUNCTION |
The most serious risks of TAVR include death, stroke, serious damage to the arteries, or serious bleeding.
SAPIEN 3 TAVR is proven superior to surgery in low-risk patients at 1 year—and proven equally effective at 5 years.*1,2
In a clinical trial, getting TAVR before symptoms start was shown to help prevent the loss of regular lifestyle and unexpected trips to the hospital—compared to people who waited to get TAVR.2,3
*
The PARTNER 3 Trial, SAPIEN 3 TAVR proven superior to surgery on the primary endpoint of all-cause death, all stroke, and re-hospitalization (valve-related or procedure-related and including heart failure) at one year, and multiple pre-specified secondary endpoints in low risk patients. View More
PARTNER 3 Trial 5-Year Results in low-risk patients – Low rates of cardiovascular mortality through five years (5.5% SAPIEN 3 TAVR to 5.1% SAVR). Low rates of all-cause mortality through five years (10.1% SAPIEN 3 TAVR vs. 8.2% with SAVR). Low rates of disabling stroke through five years (2.9% SAPIEN 3 TAVR to 2.7% SAVR). Low rates of stroke through five years (5.8% SAPIEN 3 TAVR vs. 6.4% SAVR). Lower rates of rehospitalization with SAPIEN 3 TAVR through five years (13.7% vs. 17.4%).
Ken shares his knowledge on TAVR vs SAVR
After having both open heart surgery and TAVR, Ken wants people to know about his experience.
Watch videoHere’s what to know about open heart surgery
- Typically, during open heart surgery, the surgeon will make an incision (cut) across the full length of your chest to access your valve
- Sometimes open heart surgeries can be performed through smaller incisions (called minimal incision valve surgery)
- Your old aortic valve will be taken out and replaced with a new one
- The new valve can be either a mechanical valve or a bioprosthetic valve
- Talk to your doctor about questions you may have about open heart surgery and its associated risks
Start your Informed Decision Guide
This Informed Decision Guide is a shared decision-making tool endorsed by doctors and used in a clinical study of patients with heart valve failure. It was found to be easy to use and helped patients and doctors arrive at a treatment that reflected the patients’ values.
Begin here
Find a TAVR Hospital near you
Is TAVR right for you? A Heart Valve Team can help determine your treatment options.
Find one here
References:
1.Mack MJ, Leon MB, Thourani VH, et al. Transcatheter aortic-valve replacement with a balloon-expandable valve in low-risk patients. N Engl J Med. 2019;380(18):1695-1705.
2.Mack MJ, Leon MB, Thourani VH, et al. Transcatheter aortic-valve replacement in low-risk patients at five years. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(21):1949-1960.
3.Généreux P, Schwartz A, Oldemeyer JB, et al. Transcatheter aortic-valve replacement for asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis. N Engl J Med. 2025;392(3):217-227.
Patients and/or clinicians quoted on this website have received compensation from Edwards Lifesciences.