Since heart valve surgery, Ben Pettis feels better than he has in quite a while.

Ben Pettis of Oxford recently enjoyed a trip to North Carolina with his wife, Adalene, and felt better than he has in quite a while. In July, Ben underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) surgery at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo.

Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. David Talton explains that while open heart surgery is usually done to repair or replace severely damaged heart valves, not everyone is a surgical candidate. TAVR has been a huge breakthrough for patients like Ben who suffer from aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the aortic valve opening that limits blood flow from the heart out to the rest of the body.

Aortic stenosis has been compared to a kink in a water hose that has to be relieved in order to keep the water—or in this case, blood—flowing. Left untreated, a person’s heart could get larger until it has trouble pumping. Fluid could build up in the lungs, and the heart could begin to fail. The heartbeat could become erratic, and the person could suffer a heart attack and die.

TAVR allows a team of doctors to replace a diseased valve without open heart surgery and without stopping the heart. TAVR is done by a cardiologist and cardiothoracic surgeon together in NMMC’s hybrid operating room, which is a cross between a cardiac catheterization laboratory and a surgery suite.

TAVR can be performed three ways: through an incision in the patient’s leg, carotid artery or between ribs. Next, a balloon catheter is placed across the narrowed aortic valve and stretched open so the cardiothoracic surgeon can place the new heart valve. When the balloon is inflated, it pushes the new valve into position and the diseased valve to the side. The balloon catheter is then removed, and the new valve starts working immediately.

Ben had the TAVR procedure July 31 and says he felt better immediately. “I could breathe better after surgery,” he says. “I didn’t really know I was sick beforehand, but I felt so much better afterward.”

Ben went home the next morning and recovered quickly. “It was a great experience,” he says. “I was truly impressed with Dr. Talton, his nurses and all the staff and other doctors who help to make heart care such an important part of North Mississippi Medical Center. For me personally, everyone I encountered then and every time I come to my heart appointments—I could not ask for a nicer and more friendly staff.”

Dr. Talton, who has performed almost 800 TAVR cases at NMMC, says TAVR technology has made great strides over the last decade. “The procedure is easier and safer now than it was 10 years ago,” Dr. Talton said. “Patients used to stay three days; now they go home the next day.”

“Open heart surgery is still the treatment of choice for valve replacement,” he added, “but for older patients or those with other health issues—TAVR is an excellent option.”