expert roundtable » Present and Future Challenges in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

The following Expert Roundtable Discussion was held on March 25, 2011. Dr. Josep Rodés- Cabau from Quebec Heart and Lung Institute moderated the topic “Present and Future Chal- lenges in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement,” with Drs. Susheel Kodali from the Columbia University Medical Center and Gian Paolo Ussia from the University of Catania participating. The discussion focused primarily on: (1) transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement, (2) the use of the balloon-expand- able Edwards valve and the self-expandable CoreValve in TAVR, (3) patient selection, procedural aspects, complications, results, valve hemodynamics and patient follow up for TAVR, (4) the transfemoral versus transapical and subclavian approaches for TAVR, (5) the use of general anesthesia and echo-guidance, and (6) survival rates for TAVR. (Med Roundtable Cardiovasc Ed. 2011;2(2):117–124)