Aortic Valve Bypass

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is typically our recommendation when patients are too sick for traditional surgery.

However, aortic valve bypass can provide a minimally invasive option when even TAVR is not possible.

Aortic valve bypass (AVB) is also a time-tested procedure, with many patients doing well more than 25 years after undergoing the surgery.

We are leaders in aortic valve bypass. While the surgery is fairly uncommon elsewhere, our top aortic valve surgeon started performing the operation a decade ago, giving him advanced experience in this field.

Aortic Valve Bypass Eligibility

You may be a candidate for aortic valve bypass surgery if you are:

• Suffering from a narrowed aortic valve that is causing symptoms (valve stenosis)
• Unable to undergo traditional aortic valve replacement or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
• Older than 65
• Free of blockages in your coronary arteries

How Aortic Valve Bypass Surgery Works

Aortic valve bypass involves several steps. Your surgeon will:

1. Make a small incision in the left chest.
2. Insert a small tube containing a new aortic valve. He attaches one end to the heart’s lower left chamber (left ventricle), creating a new exit for blood. He connects the other end to the major artery supplying the body with blood (aorta). 
3. Leave the existing valve in place but bypasses it with the new tube and valve.

Benefits of Aortic Valve Bypass Surgery

When needed, aortic valve bypass provides several benefits:

• No heart-lung machine
• Smaller incisions and no open chest surgery
• No manipulation of the existing valve, which lessens the chance that small pieces will break off and cause a stroke
• Safe distance from the heart’s electrical system, so there is no chance the surgery will make a pacemaker necessary