Medical Intel

In the past, the only way to treat aortic stenosis was to perform open-heart surgery—a very invasive procedure. Discover how TAVR, a new minimally invasive surgery, can replace a heart valve without surgery, allowing patients to recover faster.   TRANSCRIPT Intro: MedStar Washington Hospital Center presents Medical Intel where our healthcare team shares health and wellness insights and gives you the inside story on advances in medicine. Host: We’re speaking with Dr. Toby Rogers, an interventional cardiologist at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Thanks for joining us, Dr. Rogers. Dr. Rogers: It’s great to be here. Host: Today we’re discussing high, medium and low risk transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR. Dr. Rogers, could you start by discussing what TAVR is? Dr. Rogers: That’s a great question, and a lot of patients are quite confused by this terminology. So, aortic stenosis is a condition that is very common, particularly in older patients. And, it’s caused by a narrowing or blockage of the ma