IHI Celebrates 1000th Minimally Invasive TAVR Heart Procedure

The International Heart Institute team at Providence St. Patrick Hospital recently commemorated its 1000^th TAVR procedure (transcatheter aortic valve replacement); a 79 year-old man from Potomac who is reportedly doing well following the procedure.

KGVO spoke with cardiologist Dr. Tod Maddux about the procedure that has transformed valve replacement surgery.

“One of the most common procedures to be done now is a valve replacement that we do through the artery in the leg called TAVR, a transcatheter aortic valve replacement,” said Dr. Maddux. “And we just did our 1,000th case.”

Dr. Maddux expanded on the procedure.

“We're talking about an aortic valve replacement,” he said “The aortic valve is the last valve as blood flows out of your heart. It's a fatal heart condition if it's not treated.  Historically, that required open heart surgery to replace an aortic valve, but not anymore. We're now replacing the aortic valve through the artery in the leg and patients spend one night in the hospital and go home the next day.”

Dr. Maddux compared the TAVR procedure to full open heart surgery.

“To not have to go through an open heart surgery, that might mean a week in the hospital and a few months of recovery, this is a fantastic advancement,” he said. “On top of that, some of these patients would be deemed not candidates for open heart surgery because it's too risky and yet they can have TAVR, so we're saving a lot of lives with this technology.”

Regarding the International Heart Institute, Dr. Maddux said the legendary Dr. Carlos Duran was the guiding force behind what would become the IHI.

“Carlos Duran is one of the four grandfathers of cardiovascular surgery who literally wrote the textbook” he said. “Edwards, Carpentier, Starr and Duran. So here in little Missoula, Montana Carlos Duran from Spain, one of the most well recognized cardiovascular surgeons in the world, moves to Missoula, Montana with his tissue lab and starts the international Heart Institute in the 70s.”