Essentia Health first in North Dakota to use next-generation TAVR system

Last month, a team of providers at Essentia Health-Fargo treated their first patient using Medtronic’s Evolut FX TAVR system, a next-generation transcatheter aortic valve-replacement (TAVR) system used to treat aortic stenosis. This Essentia team led by interventional cardiologist Dr. Alok Saurav was the first in North Dakota to use this new technology in TAVR systems.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the Evolut FX TAVR system, providing Essentia’s physicians with another option to treat patients with severe aortic stenosis.

“We are proud to be the first hospital in North Dakota to offer this enhanced TAVR system, which will help many in our community live longer and fuller lives,” said Dr. Saurav. “It is designed to enhance ease-of-use and provide our physicians with greater precision and control throughout the TAVR procedure, thus improving patient outcomes.”

Aortic stenosis occurs when the aortic valves begin to narrow, making the heart work harder to pump blood to the rest of the body. If left untreated, patients with severe aortic stenosis can die from heart failure in as little as two years.

A TAVR is a minimally invasive heart procedure that replaces the thickened aortic valve with a man-made valve, restoring blood flow and reducing the symptoms of aortic stenosis. It is an alternative to open-heart surgery. During this procedure, a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel and threaded into the heart to replace the aortic valve without opening the chest.

The Evolut FX TAVR system is designed to provide greater precision and control throughout the procedure, which is expected to improve outcomes. 

Patients with aortic stenosis should discuss TAVR with their Essentia Health provider to evaluate if the procedure is right for them.