Surgeon Q&A: Is It Safe To Be Home Alone After TAVR?
Written By: Allison DeMajistre, BSN, RN, CCRN
Medical Expert: Dr. Nicholas Lopez, Cardiac Surgeon, Baptist Health Paducah
Reviewed By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: May 15, 2024
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is one of the most transformational procedures within heart valve therapy during the past 20 years. According to estimates from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the number of TAVR procedures in the United States has grown from 4,000 in 2012 to over 100,000 in 2023.
Although TAVR is minimally invasive, with faster recovery time and doesn’t require a surgical incision to the patient’s chest to replace a defective aortic valve, patients still have many important questions about the procedure. For example, we just received a patient question from Laura, who asks, “I’ll be having my TAVR in a couple of weeks. I live alone. Will I need to have someone come to my house to stay with me while I recuperate? Or, do most TAVR patients do okay coming home alone?”
To answer Laura’s question, we met with Dr. Nicholas Lopez, a leading cardiac surgeon at Baptist Health Paducah in Paducah, Kentucky, at the Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons in San Antonio, Texas.
Key Learnings About Staying Home Alone After TAVR
Here are key patient insights shared by Dr. Lopez about being home alone after TAVR:
- Since TAVR is a less invasive approach and the recovery is much quicker, Dr. Lopez agrees that it’s tempting to think it’s perfectly safe to go home alone. “While there’s no sternotomy, which is a division of the breastbone, there’s still large access to the vessel of the groin,” he said. During the procedure, the surgeon must make a large incision in the artery so the catheter can go in and deliver a valve. The incision has to be closed when the procedure is finished.
- However, Dr. Lopez thinks it is a good idea to have someone with you for the first few days after the TAVR Procedure. He states, “It’s not a bad idea, at least for the first two or three days, to have somebody with you in case there’s a problem and they can quickly help you out,” he said.
Thanks Dr. Lopez and Baptist Health Paducah!
On behalf of Laura and our entire HeartValveSurgery.com community from all over the world, thank you, Dr. Nicholas Lopez, for everything you and your team are doing at Baptist Health Paducah for heart valve patients everywhere!
Related Links:
- See Dr. Lopez’ Interactive Surgeon Profile
- Free Patient eBook: What 7 Facts Should You Know About TAVR?
Keep on tickin!
Adam
P.S. For the deaf and hard-of-hearing members of our community, I have provided a written transcript of this video below.
Written by Adam Pick
- Patient & Website Founder
Video Transcript:
Adam: Hi everybody, it’s Adam with heartvalvesurgery.com. We’re in San Antonio at the annual meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. I am thrilled to be joined by Dr. Nicholas Lopez, who is a leading cardiac surgeon at Baptist Health Paducah in Paducah, Kentucky. Dr. Lopez, it is great to see you and thanks for being with me today.
Dr. Lopez: Thanks for having me today.
Adam: Yeah, so Dr. Lopez, we are seeing a lot of new information come out, great presentations at this meeting, and we’re also getting patient questions from the community. This question came in from Laura and she asks, “I’ll be having my TAVR transcatheter aortic valve replacement in a couple weeks. I live alone. Will I need to have someone come to my house to stay with me while I recuperate or do most TAVR patients do okay coming home alone”?
Dr. Lopez: That’s a great question. Obviously with the advent of TAVR, it’s certainly a less invasive approach and the recovery is much, much quicker. It becomes tempting to think that it’s perfectly safe to go home. While there’s no sternotomy, which is a division of the breastbone, there’s still large access to the vessel of the groin. Those vessels obviously need to have a large hole made so the catheter can go in and deliver a valve, and then we have to close that large hole afterwards. In general, it’s not a bad idea to have about a week’s time of taking it easy, no major strenuous activity, but we still encourage walking. That being said, it’s not a bad idea, at least the first two, three days to have somebody with you in case there’s a problem and they can quickly help you out.
Adam: Great. Laura, I hope that helped you. I know that helped me. Dr. Lopez, on behalf of all the patients at heartvalvesurgery.com, patients all over the world, thanks so much for everything you and your team are doing at Baptist Health, Paducah in Paducah, Kentucky. Thanks for being with me today.
Dr. Lopez: Thank you very much.
Adam: Hi everybody, it’s Adam. I hope you enjoyed that video. Don’t forget, you can always subscribe to our YouTube channel, watch the next two educational videos coming up on your screen, or click the blue button to visit heartvalvesurgery.com.
