Salem, Va.-based LewisGale Medical Center has launched a transcatheter aortic valve replacement program, the facility said Feb. 2.
The procedure replaces damaged aortic valves through a catheter, in contrast to open-heart surgery.
"The minimally invasive surgical procedure repairs the damaged aortic valve without removing the native valve which causes less trauma to the heart and to the patient," said Owusu Asamoah, MD, interventional cardiologist at the medical center. "The TAVR procedure allows for a mechanical replacement valve to be wedged within the patient’s aortic valve to achieve a return to normal function."