In recent years, the use of transcatheter
aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, has made the repair safer: Physicians place a new
valve in the heart via a
catheter inserted through the patient's leg, which results in less injury and an easier recovery than open heart surgery.
Of 795 patients randomly assigned to
valve replacement by
catheter or surgery, 747 patients underwent one of the procedures: 390 in the transcatheter
aortic valve replacement (TAVR) arm and 357 in the surgical
aortic valve replacement arm.