TAVI / TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve) in India

TAVI, also called TAVR, is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat severe aortic stenosis, a condition where the aortic valve narrows and restricts blood flow out of the heart. Instead of opening the chest and using a heart-lung bypass machine, the new valve is folded into a catheter, guided through an artery, usually in the leg, and expanded into place inside the diseased valve. The old valve is not removed; the new valve is deployed within it and takes over its function immediately.

Who TAVI is for

TAVI was originally developed for patients considered too high-risk for traditional open-heart aortic valve replacement, often due to age, weakened heart function or other medical conditions. It has since expanded to intermediate and, in many cases, lower-risk patients as well, following years of outcome data. Your cardiologist will assess your specific case, including valve anatomy and overall surgical risk, to confirm whether TAVI or surgical valve replacement is the better fit.

Balloon-expandable vs self-expanding valves

Two main types of transcatheter valves are used: balloon-expandable valves, which are expanded into position using a balloon, and self-expanding valves, made of a shape-memory material that opens on its own once released. Both are internationally approved devices with strong long-term outcome data, and the choice between them depends on your valve anatomy rather than one being universally better than the other. Valve type is one of the factors that moves the final cost within the quoted range.

Why recovery is faster than open surgery

Because there is no chest incision and no bypass machine involved, TAVI patients typically spend far less time in the ICU and hospital than valve replacement surgery patients, and many return to normal activity within a few weeks rather than months. This is one of the main reasons TAVI has become the preferred option for elderly and higher-risk aortic stenosis patients worldwide.