Previously, surgical aortic valve replacement was the only real option for patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis and alternatives were very limited for patients considered at high operative risk. After 10 years of extensive research, the first TAVI case was performed by Professor Alain Cribier and Professor Hélène Eltchaninoff in Rouen, France, in April 2002.
“The journey to that point had been long and difficult. Our idea was met with much scepticism, but we trusted in the concept and our perseverance paid off,” says Prof. Cribier. “We knew there was a huge clinical unmet need – you can either give up or you can find solutions and that is what we did.”
Since the first case, dramatic progress has been made. Around 1.5 million patients around the world have had TAVI and it has evolved into the standard-of-care treatment for severe aortic stenosis, irrespective of surgical risk. In addition, TAVI opened up possibilities for other structural heart disease interventions – the non-invasive repair and replacement of mitral valves is now possible and interest is growing in transcatheter tricuspid valve treatments.
Join Prof. Cribier, Prof. Eltchaninoff and other ground-breaking pioneers as they describe current evidence and gaps for TAVI, and discuss a range of contemporary considerations, from the feasibility of minimalist approaches to cerebral embolic protection and valve-in-valve TAVI.
Our mission: To reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.