This heart valve procedure is an alternative to open heart surgery

Traditionally, people with defective heart valves have required open-heart surgery.

Open heart surgery comes with a long list of complex challenges. Recovery times can be lengthy and older patients might be turned away from the procedure due to the high risks involved.

However, a recent medical breakthrough has resulted in alternative to open heart surgery. The transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a minimally invasive procedure in which a new valve is inserted via a small incision made in the femoral artery.

Dr Mark Sader and Dr James Roy, both cardiologists with St George Public and Private Hospital, join John Stanley to explain the benefits of the TAVI procedure, encouraging at risk patients to chat with their GP.