Myrtle Beach, SC - Grand Strand Medical Center is one of a small number of hospitals in South Carolina to offer a cutting-edge, lifesaving heart procedure - Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). TAVR can help patients with severe aortic stenosis feel better and live longer. “The TAVR procedure replaces a patient’s diseased aortic valve without traditional open-heart surgery, using a first-of-its-kind artificial heart valve,” states Interventional Cardiologist Jimmy Kontos, MD, a member of the TAVR Care Team.
After a patient is identified as a TAVR candidate, the patient’s health history is reviewed by two cardiothoracic surgeons who must approve the candidate for the procedure. “Prior to TAVR, there were no definitive treatment options for patients who were unable to undergo surgical aortic valve replacement therapy which is the gold standard treatment for most adult patients with severe aortic stenosis,” states Cardiothoracic Surgeon Russell Stahl, MD, a member of the TAVR Care Team.
TAVR is a procedure that involves inserting a catheter through a blood vessel in the leg to thread an artificial replacement valve to the heart’s diseased aortic valve. The malfunctioning valve is opened with a balloon and the new valve is anchored in place, leaving patients with a smoothly operating valve that delivers better blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body.
The benefits of TAVR for patients who qualify can include: shorter hospital stays, earlier return to normal activities and less blood loss than with conventional open-heart surgery.
For more information about our heart care services, visit our cardiology page or call (843) 692-4444.