TAVR patient Marilyn Reeve
Marilyn Reeve’s heart issues started with quadruple bypass surgery at age 59. Ten years later, she began having trouble walking short distances, needing to stop often to catch her breath. The diagnosis was aortic valve stenosis. Due to her health history, open-heart surgery was out of the question, according to her doctor. “She recommended I go to the University of Michigan to see if there was anything they could do for me,” Marilyn says.
Fortunately, Marilyn was a candidate for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), a procedure for those who cannot tolerate open-heart surgery. Marilyn’s TAVR procedure was a success. “I had my procedure on a Friday and was home on Monday. It’s marvelous what they can do,” she says.
Today, at age 70, Marilyn is back to doing all her own yard work as well as other physical things she couldn’t have done two years ago. She credits the entire U-M TAVR team with helping her get her health back. “U-M is the best hospital ever,” she says.
TAVR’s history of success
The University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center TAVR team has performed nearly 400 transcatheteraortic valve replacements (the most in Michigan) and is among the top programs in the country in terms of heart valve experience.
The TAVR team at the Frankel CVC is well equipped and fully experienced in the complete spectrum of minimally invasive devices, allowing treatment of all types of complex aortic valve disease, including those patients with prior heart valve procedures that require a second operation (such as valve-in-valve) or difficult-to-access anatomy. Interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons work together for a seamless approach to these procedures.
U-M offers the latest treatment options for TAVR, including:
- Edwards Heart Valve
- Medtronic CoreValve®
- Medtronic SURTAVI
- Medtronic Evolut
- Medtronic Expanded Use
- Edwards PARTNERS II Trial
- Boston Scientific’s REPRISE III Trial
Take the next step:
- Find out more by reading TAVR FAQs.
- Learn more about the U-M TAVR program and watch a video of TAVR patient Ray Tollefson.
- Watch a video of U-M docs discussing TAVR options
The University of Michigan Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center is a top-ranked heart and heart surgery program among Michigan hospitals. To learn more, visit our website at umcvc.org.
