Innovation meets teamwork

A closer look at our first-on-the-Northshore TAVR program

(TAVR) Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

In 2019, St. Tammany Health System introduced the Northshore to TAVR, or Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, a minimally invasive procedure in which a malfunctioning heart valve is replaced without requiring open-heart surgery, resulting in dramatically shorter recovery times and fewer complications.

Since then, St. Tammany and its partner Ochsner Health have worked together to perform hundreds of TAVR procedures, getting patients back on their feet and living an active life quickly and safely -- and earning TAVR certification from the American College of Cardiology in 2021.

Because it is available to patients in all risk categories, TAVR can be an effective option to improve quality of life in patients who otherwise have limited choices for repair of their aortic valve.

As with any surgical procedure, there can be complications. If you think TAVR might be an option for you, ask your doctor or call STHS Structural Heart Clinical Coordinator Karolina Ruthner at (985) 871-5826.

TAVR and aortic stenosis

A closer look at the disease and its symptoms

TAVR is a treatment for **aortic stenosis**, a progressive disease in which the leaflets, or “flaps,” that regulate blood flow from the heart become stiff, reducing their ability to open and close fully -- and thus requiring your heart to work harder to push blood through to your body.

Aortic stenosis can be caused by a variety of factors, including age, calcium build-up, radiation therapy, a heart infection, birth defects or rheumatic fever.

Heart valve disease may occur with no outward symptoms, although symptoms commonly misinterpreted as “normal” signs of aging can, in fact, be signs of aortic stenosis, including:
Chest pain
Rapid fluttering heartbeat
Trouble breathing or feeling short of breath
Feeling dizzy or lightheaded, even fainting
Difficulty walking short distances
Swollen ankels or feet
Not doing activities you used to enjoy
Difficulty sleeping or the need to sleep sitting up

How does TAVR work?

It sounds complicated: “Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.” In actuality, though, the minimally invasive TAVR procedure – which takes just one to three hours to complete and often sees patients cleared to return home the next day – isn’t all that difficult to understand. In this short, animated video, we walk you through how it works.

Patient testimonials

TAVR patients discuss the procedure in their own words

Man, I was blessed, there’s no doubt about that – blessed with the right people. It’s so much like a family at that hospital. It’s a family atmosphere, but also extremely technically competent."

Irvin Keller, TAVR patient (Read Mr. Keller's full story here)

Since all this, we’ve been to the beach, we’ve been able to take the kids to the state fair in Jackson, Mississippi. We went trick-or-treating with them, Tony’s been back hunting once or twice. … He’s up and at it again."

Sheila Magee, wife of TAVR patient Tony Magee (Read Mr. Magee's full story here)

We like LSU sports. We've got season tickets – football, baseball. Right after the procedure, I missed the Utah State game, but the following week I went to the Florida game. Even walked up the steps, with no trouble."

Richard Hodgson, TAVR patient (Read Mr. Hodgson's full story here)