Update: Quality of life after aortic valve replacement
Some older people with stiff, failing aortic valves (aortic stenosis) are too frail to withstand open-heart surgery to replace the valve. But a technique called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) delivers the new valve to the heart through a catheter that's threaded into an artery in the groin and maneuvered into the heart. This less-invasive option leads to a far shorter recovery time but a slightly higher risk of stroke than the traditional surgery. As such, choosing the most appropriate candidates for TAVR remains a matter of debate.
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