Truly a Team Effort

Summa Health cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiac interventionists and a 15-person support team of highly skilled cardiac, anesthesia and imaging professionals completed Summit County’s first Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) surgery in January 2015.

TAVR provides a unique option for patients who are not good candidates for traditional open-chest surgery. The minimally invasive surgical procedure repairs the valve without removing the old, damaged valve. Similar to when a stent is placed into an artery, the TAVR procedure involves advancing a fully collapsible replacement valve to the valve site through a catheter, which is guided to the chambers of the heart through one of three different approaches.

Once the new replacement valve is expanded, it pushes the old valve out of the way and the replacement valve functions to regulate proper blood flow. The TAVR procedure is performed under general anesthesia and is usually completed in less than two hours.

Summa’s TAVRs are performed in the Summa Health System – Akron Campus Hamlin Hybrid Operating Room, a surgical suite specially designed for complex heart valve and complex cardiovascular procedures.