Bioprosthetic heart valves are often preferred over mechanical valves because they have a lower risk for thrombosis, but they don't last as long. The standard treatment for a failed valve has been surgery, but repeat open-heart surgery carries significant risk, especially for older patients.
TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) offers a minimally invasive procedure to patients whose valves have failed. In this less invasive "valve-in-valve" procedure, a new transcatheter valve is tightly positioned on top of the failed surgical valve. Learn more about it in the video above.