Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has revolutionized the management of patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis deemed high risk for surgery or inoperable, and its use has recently expanded to the treatment of intermediate-risk patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis as well as high-risk patients with a failing aortic valve bioprosthesis. As a key member of the interdisciplinary heart valve team involved in the care of the TAVR patient, the anesthesiologist must be familiar with the currently available devices, procedural steps, and intraoperative imaging requirements in order not only to provide the appropriate level of anesthesia and analgesia for any given patient and procedure but also to anticipate and treat the hemodynamic changes and possible complications that accompany it.