Rethinking Drapes as TAVR Becomes Go-To Option

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Rethinking Drapes as TAVR Becomes Go-To Option

By Angela Carranza

Medicine and innovation are something that we may take for granted, but in today’s world innovation is transformative and that’s exactly what we’ve seen with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures.

TVAR may be an acronym that most people are not familiar with, however, 20 years ago patients diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis had very few options while complications and mortality rates were high. With dedication, perseverance, and grit scientists, engineers, and production specialists among others disrupted medicine in a life-changing way through the development of TAVR and transformed cardiac care.

A TAVR procedure allows for high-risk patients that may not be able to go on cardiopulmonary bypass or even under general anesthesia a life-saving option. Over the last 20 years, TAVR has become the predominant procedure to replace diseased valves, supplanting the more invasive open-heart surgery and resulting in shorter hospital stays and recoveries. In just shy of a decade over 300,000 TAVR procedures have been conducted since the procedure gained FDA approval in 2011.

The goal of a TVAR procedure is to replace diseased aortic valves with a man-made valve by accessing the femoral artery with a catheter inserted through the groin. Conducted in over 715 hospitals, TAVR procedures are complex, advanced procedures requiring highly skilled physicians to insert a man-made replacement valve into the groin and guide it through the femoral artery with a catheter until it reaches, and expands within, the diseased aortic valve to facilitate replacement. If an issue is uncovered during the procedure, there may be a need to quickly transition to an open heart procedure which could require additional equipment or preparation.

Since TAVR procedures bring together the skill and expertise of both cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons, manufacturers like Medline had to consider how the way these experts perform procedures to develop an innovative sterile TAVR drape that fits their combined need to ensure these highly skilled clinical teams are prepared no matter what they encounter.

When selecting TAVR drapes, operating room managers should look for options that feature two femoral access points for catheter insertion and a chest fenestration that enables a seamless, sterile transition to an open-heart procedure. As table sizes vary, TAVR drapes should span over 196 inches to cover various sizes of cath Lab or hybrid operating room procedure tables while offering absorbent reinforced material surrounding all access points and dual liquid collection pouches for liquid control.

When evaluating a supplier of TAVR drapes, operating room managers should consider: • Is the supplier a manufacturer or distributor of the product? • Does the supplier maintain an inventory of the product or is it available only through custom order? • Can the supplier offer surgical packs customizable to their specific needs? • Is the supplier positioned to serve your needs with regional supply chain infrastructure?

Angela Carranza

is a clinical resource manager at Medline.