Kaweah Health reaches milestone with 500th TAVR heart procedure

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Kaweah Health has completed its 500th Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, or TAVR procedure, marking a milestone in expanding access to heart care in the Central Valley, where doctors say residents face several risk factors for heart disease, including Type 2 diabetes, obesity, smoking and poor air quality.

TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat aortic stenosis, a condition that narrows the aortic valve, one of the heart's four valves.

Through the procedure, Kaweah says doctors thread a thin tube through a blood vessel, typically beginning near the leg, and guide it to the heart to place a new valve.

"It goes inside that valve and gets expanded there. It gets deployed, as we call it, and it immediately starts working. So we're not taking out anything. We're just putting this new valve in, and its impact is immediate," said Dr. Harleen Chahil, a structural cardiologist at Kaweah Health.

Kaweah Health says the procedure can improve symptoms and quality of life without requiring open-heart surgery.

"It's minimally invasive. Our patients are up and walking the same day, sometimes the next day, usually out of the hospital. After one night in the hospital, the recovery is much quicker," Dr. Chahil said.

Hospital officials said the completion of 500 TAVR procedures represents a significant achievement for the program and the patients it serves.

"I think that's a really important milestone, and I think I hope to see more of them," said Dr. Shelly Bansal, a cardiothoracic surgeon and medical director of the Kaweah cardiothoracic surgery program.

Dr. Chahil said the procedure helps bring advanced heart care closer to home for Central Valley residents who might otherwise need to travel elsewhere for treatment.

"The Central Valley definitely has a very high burden of heart disease. We have a high burden of risk factors for heart disease, so we have a lot of obesity, diabetes, smoking, the valley air. So all kinds of compounds contribute to a high burden of heart disease in the Valley, and treating all these patients, giving them all of the options that are available locally close to home is our biggest goal," Dr. Chahil said.

Beyond TAVR, Kaweah Health has other minimally invasive offerings, including MitraClip therapy, Micra leadless pacemaker, and WATCHMAN.

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