Severe aortic stenosis prevents your aortic valve leaflets from opening and closing properly. Failure to seek treatment for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (ssAS) is a problem that can cost women their lives.
Without treatment, the average patient survival rate at 2 years is a shockingly low 50% for patients at high risk for surgery.2
What makes this such a pressing women’s health issue is that although proven treatments exist, such as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR), women are up to 35% less likely to be treated than men.3
Severe aortic stenosis prevents your aortic valve leaflets from opening and closing properly. Failure to seek treatment for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (ssAS) is a problem that can cost women their lives. Without treatment, the average patient survival rate at 2 years is a shockingly low 50%2 for patients at high risk for surgery.
What makes this such a pressing women's health issue is that although proven treatments exist, such as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR), women are up to 35% less likely to be treated than men.3
After a diagnosis of ssAS, if your doctor decides you're a candidate, Medtronic TAVR offers a promising option with distinct advantages over SAVR.†4 Among TAVR options, Medtronic TAVR has a unique design that produces excellent outcomes for women. It’s not just any heart valve, it’s proven for women.*5
In a recent TAVR clinical trial focusing on patients with small heart valves, predominantly women, the Medtronic Evolut™ TAVR valve delivered superior valve performance‡ for women compared to the Edwards Lifesciences SAPIEN TAVR™* valve, but there were no differences in safety outcomes. The SMART trial, as it’s commonly known, revealed the following important findings at one year:
5X
Women experienced 5x less valve dysfunction with the Medtronic TAVR compared to the Edwards SAPIEN TAVR.5
10X
Better
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive procedure to replace the aortic valve in patients with severe aortic stenosis. TAVR is less invasive than open-heart surgery (SAVR), and the procedure typically takes less than one hour. Your heart team will determine if you should have a mild sedative or general anesthesia.
† Distinct advantages over SAVR include better blood flow from improved hemodynamics.
‡ Valve performance means the valve works better after TAVR, with improved blood flow. The SMART study defined valve performance as freedom from bioprosthetic valve dysfunction (BVD) at 12 months. BVD is a composite including any of the following: hemodynamic structural valve dysfunction (mean gradient ≥ 20 mmHg), non-structural valve dysfunction (severe prosthesis patient mismatch or ≥ moderate aortic regurgitation), thrombosis, endocarditis, and aortic valve reintervention.
§ Better blood flow, or "near-normal transvalvular flow" means that your new heart is operating well and the gradient across your valve is < 20 mmHg.
