Improving Quantity & Quality of Life with a New Heart Valve

Patients with aortic stenosis, a common and serious condition of the aortic valve of the heart, once faced only a few choices for treatment — and open-heart surgery isn’t a choice anyone wants to make. Today, we’re instead helping patients extend the quantity and quality of their lives with a minimally invasive procedure, to implant a new valve, from which they can recover in as little as one day.

As many as 300,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis yearly. Among the most common and serious heart valve conditions, aortic stenosis usually develops because of aging, as calcium or damage from scarring damages the valve and disrupts proper blood flw. It is most common in patients over age 65 or those with congenital conditions.

“I like to use the analogy that it’s almost like rust on the door,” explained Dr. Tariq Dayah, an interventional cardiologist at Houston Methodist West Hospital. “With age or with other external conditions, sometimes the door just doesn’t open anymore.”

DON ’ T IGNORE THESE SYMPTOMS

It’s important to listen to your body and talk to a doctor if you experience any of the follow symptoms of aortic stenosis.

■ chest pain

■ fluttering heartbeat

■ dizziness

■ trouble breathing

■ swollen feet

■ reduced ability to do normal activities

Patients with aortic stenosis have a decrease in life expectancy. Once symptoms become severe, the chance of dying from the condition within two years is 50%.

“If a patient is suffering from severe aortic stenosis, there’s usually a need to replace the aortic valve,” said Dr. Javier Lafuente, a cardiovascular surgeon at Houston Methodist West Hospital. “Ths can be accomplished with open heart surgery or with a minimally invasive catheterbased procedure.”

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI or TAVR) is a procedure in which doctors use one small incision, usually in the groin, to thread a small tube through a patient’s blood vessels. Though this tube, the surgeon will replace damaged heart valves with artifical valves. “We have performed more than 100 TAVI procedures at Houston Methodist West Hospital, all with excellent outcomes, and over 2,000 throughout the Houston Methodist system,” said Lafuente.

From Fatigued To Fabulous

Aortic stenosis is most often diagnosed with an echocardiogram or an ultrasound of the heart. Patients are then referred to specialists to discuss their treatment options.

“Nobody wants to have open heart surgery and be facing weeks of recovery if they can avoid it,” said Dr. Dayah. “TAVI allows us to avoid that.”

Today, TAVI is the preferred choice of most patients, thanks to the benefits of minimally invasive surgery. “We carefully examine all patients with aortic stenosis to determine if they are good candidates for this surgery. With imaging technology like a CT scan, we examine the size of the arteries and the heart valves to ensure they are large enough for the catheter and instruments to pass through,” said Dayah.

A New Lease On Life

Most patients get almost immediate relief from this procedure, which is very gratifying for them and for their doctors. With an artifical valve in place, blood flw to the body is restored and patients often feel like their younger selves again.

Many patients with aortic stenosis have mistakenly assumed symptoms, such as fatigue and shortness of breath are the result of normal aging. Following TAVI, many patients say they feel 10 years younger.

“Patients undergoing TAVI have less pain and discomfort, faster recovery times and shorter stays at the hospital,” said Lafuente.

TAVI is a life-saving, life-lengthening, and life-improving procedure for most patients. “We’re proud of our strong record of helping our cardiac patients improve the quantity and quality of their lives,” said Dayah. •