Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is now offering Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), a minimally-invasive procedure to replace narrowed aortic valves that fail to properly open.

“TAVR is a milestone addition to the cardiology treatments we offer here,” said Rosella Dolan, RN, Cardiovascular Services nurse navigator at Henry Mayo. “We are very pleased to bring this life-changing procedure to our community.”

Valve replacement typically requires an open-heart procedure with a “sternotomy”, in which the chest is surgically opened for the procedure. However, the TAVR procedure can be done through very small openings that leave all the chest bones in place. According to the American Heart Association, “…TAVR utilizes one of two approaches, allowing the cardiologist or surgeon to choose which one provides the best and safest way to access the valve:

– Entering through the femoral artery (large artery in the groin), called the transfemoral approach, which does not require a surgical incision in the chest, or

– Using a minimally invasive surgical approach with a small incision in the chest and entering through a large artery in the chest or through the tip of the left ventricle (the apex), which is known as the transapical approach.”

TAVR provides options to people who may not have been considered for valve replacement, as well as those who are in all risk categories. Notably, this procedure likely requires less time in the hospital for recovery.

To learn more about Henry Mayo’s Roberta G. Veloz Cardiovascular Center, visit henrymayo.com/heart.

About Henry Mayo:
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is a 357-bed not-for-profit acute care hospital serving the Santa Clarita Valley since 1975. The hospital recently opened a new patient tower that includes 90 private patient rooms and a new Center for Women and Newborns, also with all private rooms. Henry Mayo is an Advanced Primary Stroke Center and a STEMI Receiving Center. The hospital features state-of-the-art inpatient facilities, a neonatal intensive care unit, catheterization lab, infusion center, breast center and an outpatient surgery center. Additional services include cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, intensive care, neonatal intensive care, maternity, surgery, nursing, wound care, spine and joint, behavioral health, and acute rehab, as well as cancer, imaging, lab, digestive, respiratory services and physical and occupational therapies. Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is located at 23845 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355-2083. For more information, visit henrymayo.com or call 661.200.2000.