Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/n8Fx1Wj1qzY   Aortic valve replacement by a minimally-invasive transcatheter technique, TAVR, yields long term results equal to those of open heart surgery.  Both restore a patient’s life expectancy to normal without an undue risk of post-op stroke.     A just published multi-site study led by cardiologists at LA’s Cedar-Sinai Hospital followed more than 2,000 patients for 5 years following valve replacement.   Half underwent catheter and half surgery.  A study published last year revealed that catheter valve replacements had a 50% lower incidence of immediate bleeding, stroke, and death.   Not everyone is a candidate for TAVR.  If your doctors are recommending aortic valve replacement, do ask about it.   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200130104927.htm   https://www.dicardiology.com/content/tavr-performs-well-compared-surgical-aortic-valve-replacement-low-risk-patients   #TAVR #aorticvalvereplacement #transcatheter #heartsurgery