Surgeons at Murrieta, Calif.-based Loma Linda University Medical Center have performed their 200th transcatheter aortic valve replacement, according to a Jan. 21 news release.
The medical center began offering TAVR in 2019. It's a minimally invasive alternative to open heart surgery used to treat aortic stenosis, a heart valve disease that restricts normal blood flow. The procedure can typically be performed in less than an hour.
"Two hundred TAVR procedures in two years is a major milestone for any cardiac program, especially during the challenges we faced during COVID-19," said Harit Desai, MD, interventional cardiologist at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Since first performing the procedure two years ago, Dr. Desai said improvements in the equipment needed for TAVR have allowed the hospital to put patients under conscious sedation instead of general anesthesia when undergoing the surgery.
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