Cardiovascular Surgery

• Presentation
• Treatment
• Frequently asked questions

• To repair or replace a heart valve

  If possible, a heart valve should be repaired. A repaired valve retains its good function overtime without the need of oral anticoagulation. In contrast, bioprosthetic valves degrade overtime, most usually in young patients, and mechanical prosthesis need permanent oral anticoagulation.

• Conventional aortic valve replacement or TAVI

  Nowadays, the gold-standard treatment for aortic stenosis remains the aortic valve replacement with the help of extracorporeal circulation. Nevertheless, certain patients with contraindication for extracorporeal circulation (important coagulopathies, cirrhosis, fragility, etc) or aortic calcification may be good candidates for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).