On December 19, 2012, Regional Medical Center of Acadiana joined an elite group of hospitals nationwide designated as a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement site (TAVR) by Edwards Lifesciences, a global leader in the innovation and development of medical device advancements. Regional becomes the first and only facility in Acadiana and the third in the state to be designated to perform this revolutionary procedure.
TAVR Heart Valve
What is an Aortic Valve?
The aortic valve is one of the valves in the heart. It is located between the left ventricle and the aorta. It directs blood from the heart to the coronary arteries.
What is Severe Aortic Stenosis?
Severe aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve opening that does not allow normal blood flow. It can be caused by a birth defect, rheumatic fever, radiation therapy, or can be related to age. In elderly patients, severe aortic stenosis is sometimes caused by the build-up of calcium (mineral deposits) on the aortic valve’s leaflets. Over time the leaflets become stiff, reducing their ability to fully open and close. When the leaflets don’t fully open, your heart must work harder to push blood through the aortic valve to your body. Eventually, your heart gets weaker, increasing the risk of heart failure (your heart cannot supply enough blood to your body). Severe aortic stenosis is a very serious problem. Without treatment, half of the people who feel sick from this problem die within an average of 2 years
Life-Saving TAVR Procedure
Estimates range up to 200,000 people in the U.S. need a new aortic valve, but nearly half of them do not receive a new valve for a variety of reasons. With the development of TAVR, patients needing an aortic valve replacement but unable to receive because of age, frailty or other high risks, may now qualify for this minimally invasive alternative.
Regional Medical Center is the only facility in Acadiana to offer this procedure.
The TAVR valve is mounted onto a catheter and is inserted through the leg (transfemoral) or inserted between the ribs on the left side of the chest (transapical) and is opened across the patient's blocked aortic valve. Both procedures are performed on a "beating heart," without the need for cardiopulmonary bypass.
Severe aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve opening that does not allow normal blood flow. It can be caused by a birth defect, rheumatic fever, radiation therapy, or can be related to age.
In elderly patients, severe aortic stenosis is sometimes caused by the build-up of calcium (mineral deposits) on the aortic valve’s leaflets. Over time the leaflets become stiff, reducing their ability to fully open and close. When the leaflets don’t fully open, your heart must work harder to push blood through the aortic valve to your body. Eventually, your heart gets weaker, increasing the risk of heart failure (your heart cannot supply enough blood to your body). Severe aortic stenosis is a very serious problem. Without treatment, half of the people who feel sick from this problem die within an average of 2 years.
View Procedure Animation Here
For more information or to make a referral, please call The Heart Institute (337) 406-4127
What is an Aortic Valve?
The aortic valve is one of the valves in the heart. It is located between the left ventricle and the aorta. It directs blood from the heart to the coronary arteries. 
Estimates range up to 200,000 people in the U.S. need a new aortic valve, but nearly half of them do not receive a new valve for a variety of reasons. With the development of TAVR, patients needing an aortic valve replacement but unable to receive because of age, frailty or other high risks, may now qualify for this minimally invasive alternative.