• Transcaval Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

    Transcaval Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

    For patients with difficult arterial access (namely calcified/narrowed femoral and subclavian arteries), a transcaval approach offers another alternative. In this technique, interventional cardiologists guide a catheter through the femoral vein into the abdominal inferior vena cava (IVC). Using prior CT imaging and intraprocedural fluoroscopy, they electrify a venous guidewire from…

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  • Anesthesia For Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

    Anesthesia For Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

    The overwhelming majority of anesthetics I provide for transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR) are monitored anesthesia care (MAC) – sedation with an anesthesiologist that can escalate the anesthetic. Typically, patients undergoing TAVR are older with many comorbidities making then unsuitable for surgical aortic valve replacements (SAVR). Consequently, it makes sense…

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