Structural heart · Kauvery Heart Institute, Radial Road
TAVI: a new aortic valve without open-heart surgery
If your aortic valve has narrowed (aortic stenosis), TAVI replaces it through a thin tube passed up from the artery at the top of your leg. There is no cut through the breastbone, and most people are up and walking within a day.
Route
Through the groin artery
Anaesthesia
Usually local, with light sedation
Hospital stay
Typically 2–3 days
Back to routine
About 1–2 weeks
Signs of a narrowed aortic valve
- Breathlessness when walking or climbing stairs
- Chest tightness on exertion
- Dizziness or fainting, especially during activity
- Tiring much faster than you used to
Aortic stenosis is common after the age of 65 and is often first picked up when a doctor hears a murmur. Once symptoms begin, severe aortic stenosis tends to worsen quickly. Medicines can ease symptoms but cannot open the valve; replacing it is the only effective treatment.
Who is TAVI for?
TAVI is now an established treatment for severe aortic stenosis. The 2025 European (ESC/EACTS) guidelines recommend it for most people aged 70 or over whose valve and arteries are suitable, and it is also used in younger patients for whom open surgery carries higher risk. For younger people at low surgical risk, conventional valve surgery may still be the better choice.
The decision is made with you and your family by a Heart Team — an interventional cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon — once the tests below are done.
Your path to TAVI
Consultation and echocardiogram
At SR Heart Clinic, Tambaram. The echo confirms how severe the narrowing is.
TAVI CT scan
Measures your valve precisely and checks that the leg arteries are wide enough for the new valve to pass.
Angiogram and blood tests
Checks the heart arteries, if this has not been done recently, so any other blockage can be planned for.
Heart Team review
The cardiologist and cardiac surgeon agree on the best option and discuss it with you.
The procedure
At Kauvery Heart Institute, Radial Road. It usually takes one to two hours.
Follow-up
An echo before you go home and again at follow-up visits, with a clear plan for your medicines.
Risks we will discuss with you
Like any heart procedure, TAVI carries risks. The main ones are stroke, bleeding or injury at the groin artery, a small leak around the new valve, and the need for a permanent pacemaker in some patients, because the valve sits close to the heart’s electrical pathway. Your own risk depends on your age, other illnesses and the CT findings, and we go through it with you before any decision is made.
Common questions
Will I be awake?
Most patients have a local anaesthetic in the groin with light sedation, so you are relaxed and comfortable. A general anaesthetic is used in some cases.
How long does the new valve last?
Studies that have followed patients for up to ten years show TAVI valves holding up about as well as surgical valves. Very long-term data are still being collected, which is one reason age matters when choosing between TAVI and surgery.
I have had valve surgery before. Can I have TAVI?
Often, yes. A TAVI valve can be placed inside a worn surgical valve (“valve-in-valve”), avoiding repeat open-heart surgery.
What will it cost?
The cost depends mainly on the valve type and the length of your hospital stay. We will give you an estimate once the CT scan is done.
Told you have a narrowed aortic valve?
Bring your latest echocardiogram report to a consultation, and we will explain your options clearly.
SR Heart Clinic, Elangovan Street, East Tambaram, Chennai 600059 · Mon–Fri, 6:30–7:30 PM