What is TAVI?
The TAVI procedure is where a heart valve that is crimped into a catheter is introduced through the artery in the groin (femoral artery) and then positioned in the diseased aortic valve. The new transcatheter aortic valve expands to fit within the diseased valve. The diseased aortic valve will not be cut or removed. The new valve will start to function immediately. For patients whose femoral arteries are too small to accommodate the new valve, we often introduce the trans-catheter valve between the ribs, across the apex of the heart – this is called a transapical approach.
We have had no mortality on these transapical procedures and our results are world-leading.