TAVR Team Hits 500 Procedure Milestone

San Antonio Regional Hospital’s cardiovascular TAVR team has hit an impressive milestone -- more than 500 Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedures have now been performed.

TAVR is a minimally-invasive procedure used to replace an aortic valve that has been damaged by aortic stenosis, one of the most common types of heart valve disease.   Aortic stenosis causes the valve to stiffen and narrow, reducing blood flow to the body, leading to symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, and more.

Unlike traditional open heart surgery, which requires opening the chest, TAVR is performed by inserting a catheter through a small incision (typically in the groin) and guiding it to the heart to deliver a new valve.   The procedure takes place in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, with close collaboration between an interventional cardiologist and a cardiothoracic surgeon, who work side by side to deliver the highest level of care.

Because TAVR is performed using a catheter-based approach and avoids the large chest incision required in open-heart surgery, it offers several important advantages, including:

TAVR is typically recommended for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are considered high or intermediate risk for traditional open-heart surgery.  A multidisciplinary team of heart specialists (cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons work together to determine the best treatment approach for each patient.

Since launching the TAVR program in 2016, San Antonio’s program has grown significantly.  By the end of 2025, the team had completed more than 500 TAVR procedures.