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TAVR procedure recommended for me
Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: 19 hours ago | Replies (20)Comment receiving replies
The choice isn’t TAVR vs. stroke—it’s TAVR vs. the very real risk of sudden death from severe aortic stenosis. I had TAVR even though I was asymptomatic. My stenosis was severe to critical, and no one could explain why I wasn’t having symptoms—but that didn’t make it less dangerous.
Sudden cardiac death from severe AS can happen without warning, and survival after cardiac arrest is extremely rare. TAVR likely saved my life. The risk of stroke is low—about 1–2%—and usually occurs during or right after the procedure, not later on. For me, the far greater risk was doing nothing.
Everyone’s case is different, but if the valve is that narrowed, “waiting and seeing” can be the riskiest option of all.
Replies to "The choice isn’t TAVR vs. stroke—it’s TAVR vs. the very real risk of sudden death from..."
Thank you for your reply. I wanted to go to the Mayo Clinic for my TAVR procedure as they are considered the best for this procedure. However, I am in Colorado and numerous follow ups are easier from home. Unfortunately, I am unable to get satisfactory info on my status as the ego of the doctor and appointment time allotted is 15 minutes! Thanks to your kind reply as well as from others, I get some valuable answers. May I please ask you where you had your TAVR done? Physician expertise is important.
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By the way, that's 75 to 100% figure you're citing is I think a significant misinterpretation. I think you may have read about benign lesions that occur after many cardiac procedures and are clinically insignificant, especially with newer valves and procedures. I mean, I was worried about this too, but when I talked to the Clinical Fellow who visited me just before the procedure, he noted that just a great many people have these lesions as they age. And it's true:
Silent cerebral lesions (SCLs) are detectable by sensitive MRI in many older adults, without cardiac procedures, such as TAVR.
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.str.0000052631.98405.15