Dr. Puvi Seshiah Explains a Breakthrough Heart Procedure: TAVR
Puvi N. Seshiah MD, FACC, FSCAI, an interventional cardiologist at the TriHealth Heart Institute, discusses transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a minimally invasive treatment option that offers relief for patients suffering from aortic stenosis.
Aortic stenosis is a progressive heart disease that causes narrowing or obstruction of the aortic valve that may include the following symptoms:
- Severe shortness of breath
- Chest pain or tightness
- Fainting
- Extreme fatigue
- Lightheadedness/dizziness
- Difficulty exercising
- Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR): What Is It?
Tony Bianco, 91, has worked as a tailor since he was 16 years old. He recently noticed that some of his daily tasks – like measuring, standing and climbing the stairs – became more difficult, so he decided to have a leading-edge heart procedure offered at the TriHealth Heart Institute: transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
“He was managed with medicines for a while, but he got to the point where heart failure became an issue,” Dr. Seshiah tells Local 12’s Liz Bonis.
TAVR Gets Tony Back to Work
TAVR is a minimally invasive treatment option for those who are not candidates for open heart surgery.
Dr. Seshiah put a valve, with a balloon in it on the end of a catheter, which he then inserted, through a tiny incision, right inside the damaged valve of his heart. “This valve has been beating ever since he was six weeks old,” Dr. Seshiah points out. “Over the years, it takes damage from blood pressure – sometimes plaque build-up – and it degrades over time.”
Then, inside the degraded valve, Dr. Seshiah opens the balloon and removes the catheter, and the steel frame around it keeps the new one in place.
Now, Tony is pleased to be back on his feet, and more importantly, back to work. “Since then, I go up and down steps. I ride my bicycle. I walk the beach. I run in the ocean,” he says.