State of the Art: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement determined a paradigm shift in the treatment of elderly patientswith severe symptomatic aortic stenosis at high or prohibitive risk for traditional surgical aortic valve replacement. Different prostheses are nowadays available for implantation via retrograde transfemoral, retrograde subclavian, transaortic or an antegrade transapical approach. Along with an increased experience and a growing body of literature the inherent procedural risks steadily decreased yet with the first generation of prostheses. Nevertheless, newer prostheses aim to overcome the limitations of the predecessors by optimizing results and further reducing the risk of complications. In this scenario, the “heart team” will still play a key role for the success of the TAVR therapy.