Ascension Providence celebrates 200th TAVR procedure

In 2018, Ascension Providence performed its first Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure. And since then, they haven’t slowed down. Recently, Ascension Providence held an event with associates and past patients to celebrate its 200th TAVR procedure. With Ascension Providence being the only hospital in Waco which offers this procedure, it allows its patients to stay close to home while still receiving the exceptional care they have come to expect.

Life-Saving Benefits Of TAVR

The TAVR procedure enables the placement of a new aortic valve into the heart via a catheter that is inserted through an incision in the groin area and guided up to the heart through the circulatory system. With an average hospital stay of two to three days, this new treatment method can offer a much shorter recovery time—one to two weeks, versus six to eight weeks with the traditional sternotomy.

The benefits of the TAVR procedure include:

• Shorter recovery time and hospital stay
• Minimally invasive treatment
• No need for cardiopulmonary bypass or stopping the heart
• Lower incidence of disabling stroke compared to surgery*
• Lower mortality rate compared to surgery*
• Life-saving option for high-risk patients

*In intermediate, high, and inoperable risk patients

Ascension Providence: Waco’s Heart Hospital

Known as Waco’s Heart Hospital, Ascension Providence has long been committed to improving the heart health of Central Texans. Ascension Providence has a long tradition of firsts in the Waco community, including the first open-heart surgery and first cardiac stent procedure, and generations of patients have entrusted their heart health to Providence’s award-winning team of physicians and clinicians who provide passionate, personalized care.

“We are proud to offer this advanced procedure to heart patients in the Waco area,” said Philip A. Patterson, FACHE, president of Ascension Providence. “TAVR procedures allow us to treat patients that would otherwise travel significant distances to receive similar care. As we grow, we continue to invest our resources into increasing access to advanced, high-quality care.”