Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Launches a TAVR Program

Roberta G. Veloz Cardiovascular Center Leadership with Dick Sears, a former TAVR patient at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is now offering Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), a cutting-edge minimally-invasive procedure (usually percutaneous) to replace narrowed aortic valves that fail to properly open.

Aortic stenosis is the most common type of heart disease in the elderly.¹ More than 1 in 8 people over the age of 75 have moderate to severe valvular heart disease.² Aortic stenosis is commonly caused by the accumulation of calcium on the valve, causing it to harden and restricting its movement. Once a patient with severe aortic stenosis develops symptoms (ie. shortness of breath), they will have decreased survival unless it is treated. Mortality from severe symptomatic aortic stenosis is approximately 25% at 1 year and 50% at 2 years. Because of this, timely medical intervention is critical. Historically this was only done surgically by opening the chest, but with advancements in technology and medical practice, this can be done minimally invasively with a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

“TAVR is a milestone addition to the cardiovascular treatments we offer here,” said Rosella Dolan, RN, Cardiovascular Services nurse navigator at Henry Mayo. “We are very pleased to bring this life-changing procedure to our community.”

Surgical valve replacement (SAVR) typically requires an open-heart procedure with a “sternotomy”, in which the chest is opened for the procedure. However, with the TAVR procedure, a hybrid team consisting of a highly trained interventional cardiologist and cardiothoracic surgeon gain access to the heart through the blood vessels. Using wires and hollow tubes called catheters, the team guides a new valve across the opening of the diseased valve. The new valve is expanded into place, pushes the diseased valve aside, and uses it to secure itself in place. By restoring the structure and unrestricted movement of the valve, the function of the valve is restored.

While TAVR was initially approved for high surgical risk patients (2011), approval in intermediate (2016) and low risk individuals (2019) soon followed after additional clinical trials demonstrated that TAVR has several benefits over SAVR in these patient populations. The benefits shown in the low risk Edwards Sapien 3 valve trial (PARTNER 3) include decreased mortality and stroke (at one year), shorter hospital stay (three days vs seven days), improved quality of life, and decreased rehospitalizations. As a result, TAVR is now the most common method to replace the aortic valve.

To determine whether an individual is a candidate for TAVR, they need to undergo a comprehensive evaluation by a multidisciplinary Heart Valve Team.  A collaborative effort is led by Interventional Cardiologist Abhishek Sinha, MD, (Henry Mayo’s Structural Heart Director) and Cardiothoracic Surgeon Raffi Kotoyan, MD, who have years of experience with the TAVR procedure. The Henry Mayo Roberta G. Veloz Cardiac Cath Lab already has a track record of proven excellence in structural heart interventions (Patent Foramen Ovale Closure, since 2019) and recently received additional recognition for excellence in treatment of acute myocardial infarctions (STEMIs).

1. Bouma BJ, van den Brink RBA, van der Meulen JHP et al. To operate or not on elderly patients with aortic stenosis: the decision and its consequences. Heart 1999 Aug; 82: 143–8
2. Nkomo VT, Gardin JM, Skelton TN, et al. Burden of valvular heart diseases: a population-based study. Lancet 2006;368:1005-11.

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ABOUT HENRY MAYO–Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is a 357-bed not-for-profit acute care hospital serving the Santa Clarita Valley since 1975. The hospital recently opened a new patient tower that includes 90 private patient rooms and a new Center for Women and Newborns, also with all private rooms. Henry Mayo is an Advanced Primary Stroke Center and a STEMI Receiving Center. The hospital features state-of-the-art inpatient facilities, a neonatal intensive care unit, catheterization lab, infusion center, breast center and an outpatient surgery center. Additional services include cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, intensive care, neonatal intensive care, maternity, surgery, nursing, wound care, spine and joint, behavioral health, and acute rehab, as well as cancer, imaging, lab, digestive, respiratory services and physical and occupational therapies. Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is located at 23845 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355-2083. For more information, visit henrymayo.com or call 661.200.2000.