Treatment Overview
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a procedure to implant a replacement aortic valve in the heart. It is also called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Your doctor will use a thin, flexible tube called a catheter to put in your new heart valve.
Your doctor will put the catheter into a blood vessel in your upper leg (groin) or chest. The doctor moves the catheter through the blood vessel and into your heart.
The replacement valve fits inside the catheter. The valve is made of tissue and metal. Your doctor will move the new valve into your damaged valve. It will expand and work in place of the old valve.
You may be asleep for the procedure, or you may get a sedative to help you relax. You won't feel pain when the catheter is put in the blood vessel.
You may stay in the hospital for up to a few days.
