Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) involves inserting a catheter into a blood vessel in your thigh and delivering to the aortic valve. It helps to fix a new valve over the old one.

The main advantages of this technique are that it avoids a major surgery. Usually TAVI is more suitable for people who are too frail or have high risk features to have a conventional valve replacement. Research is ongoing.

Electrical system

For the heart to function regularly, it has a natural pacemaker with wires. There are two junctions where the wires meet. One is near right atrium (Sino–Atrial node) and other is near junction of atria and ventricles (atrio-ventricular node). Wires connect the junctions to atria and ventricles.

During aortic, mitral, tricuspid valve surgery, it involves operating very close to these structures. Anatomy varies from patient to patient At times, inflammation and incision near these structure render the natural pacemaker system non-functional either temporarily or permanent. If there is no recovery or incomplete recovery, patient requires a permanent pacemaker insertion.