Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 81 TAVR, Alternative to Open-Heart Surgery, Now in Great Falls Why now? The goal is to continue to expand the structural heart offerings at Benefis, with more new procedures soon to follow. This will make a meaningful difference for our patients, such as reducing travel and increasing the number of patients who qualify for a procedure who may have been ruled out by the rigors of open-heart surgery. Benefis has sent patients to university hospitals in other states for TAVR, but that presents a difficult financial and time burden on the patients and their families. Bringing these services close to home matters. What is TAVR? The procedure is a less invasive way to treat a failing heart valve. Instead of open-heart surgery, the surgeon runs an artificial valve into place through the femoral artery. The valve is crimped small enough to travel to the heart via the artery and is then opened up in place. The failing valve stays. What happens when someone has a failing heart valve? A failing heart valve can lead to the heart struggling to pump enough blood through the body, causing chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, fatigue, swelling, and other symptoms. What can patients expect after a TAVR procedure? For the patients, the difference between a traditional valve replacement and TAVR is dramatic. A typical valve replacement involves a three-to-five-hour operation, four to seven days in the ICU, weakness, and the physiological and psychological work of healing from open-heart surgery. With TAVR, the patient has local anesthesia and sedation. They don't feel pain, they don't have a wound to heal, they have far less chance of picking up an infection, and they're home the next day. The instant the new valve is in place, the patient is healed. Who is involved in TAVR procedures? Dr. Shawn Kelly directs the Benefis TAVR program and stressed the heart team approach that guides the flow of each procedure. Staff from the catheterization lab and operating room groups, including cardiac anesthesia, are essential to the success of each procedure. Every person plays a crucial role in supporting each other and the patient, whose well-being is at the center of every move they make. History was made at Benefis Health System on April 12, 2022, with an inaugural transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure, or TAVR. The specialists in the Benefis Heart and Vascular Institute weighed in about the milestone. A tradition of advanced care. Learn more at Benefis.org

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