St. Anthony Hospital is one of a select number hospitals in Colorado that offers Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) in for patients who have Severe Aortic Stenosis. At St. Anthony Hospital, TAVR is performed by our specialty physician team which includes a cardiothoracic surgeon and an interventional cardiologist. 

Patients are referred by their cardiologist or primary care provider if they are believed to be of intermediate or high risk for surgical aortic valve replacement, which involves open heart surgery.  The patient then undergoes a series of preoperative tests to be discussed amongst a collaborative, multi-disciplinary heart team which includes: cardiothoracic surgeon, interventional cardiologist, cardiac anesthesiologist, interventional radiologist, structural heart coordinator and a medical device vendor representative. This group thoroughly and thoughtfully discusses each patient on an individual basis to determine if TAVR is the best course of action for the patient.

The TAVR procedure is done inside our specialized hybrid operating room which combines both cardiac catheterization technology and operating room capabilities.

Patients and their family members can expect the patient to be in the operating room for 2-3 hours, with the actual procedure taking around 90 minutes. Following the procedure, the patient recovers in the Intensive Care Unit, then is transferred to the step down unit overnight. Many patients are able to go home the next day!