As a doctor, I want to point out that TAVI may be minimally invasive surgery but just like any procedure, you want to ensure that the cardiologist performing the procedure has the qualifications, knowledge, experience, and proven track record for the procedure.

In addition, you want to ensure that the hospital where you have the TAVI procedure has the postoperative management skills than can deal with complications of TAVI. TAVI has known risks and complications. These complications include ventricular wall perforations (heart wall perforations), heart attacks, stroke, and death. Not all patients are eligible for TAVI and a few may still need open heart surgery to replace their aortic valve. I recommend that my patients go to a heart center where they have done a sufficient volume of the same procedure every year to make sure they will have the best chance of a best outcome for their procedure.

As a doctor, I always recommend that my patients undergoing a medical procedure do their homework. They should look up various hospitals and seen a wide variety of hospitals and surgeons/cardiologists. They should compare, and they should make an informed choice of where they should undergo their procedure.