{"id":6550,"date":"2026-03-17T21:38:52","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/?page_id=6550"},"modified":"2026-03-24T18:33:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T18:33:22","slug":"evolut-tavr-patient-story","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/evolut-tavr-patient-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Barbara Dances Again Thanks to Medtronic Evolut TAVR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/medtronic-tavr-procedure\">Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)<\/a> has transformed the treatment of heart valve disease. Over time, the number of these minimally invasive procedures has increased dramatically to just over 100,000 procedures in the US in 2023.<sup>1<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Ongoing clinical research continues to refine TAVR technology and patient outcomes. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/smart-clinical-trial-women-aortic-stenosis\/\">SMART Clinical Trial<\/a>, for example, found that patients with severe aortic stenosis (symptomatic severe aortic stenosis) and a smaller annulus (a condition more common in women) experience better valve performance<sup>\u2020<\/sup> when treated with the Medtronic Evolut TAVR.<sup>2-4-5<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ROQTYN5pDyk?si=5bAWCL5-hokKAqCW\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Barbara\u2019s Struggle with Aortic Stenosis<\/h2>\n<p>Meet Barbara Arnofsky, a 78-year-old retired computer programmer, mother, and grandmother from Verona, New Jersey. When Barbara began feeling unusually tired and noticed she was slowing down, she attributed it to aging\u2014until activities like dancing, needlepoint, and travel became difficult.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6556 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/barbara-arnofsky-tavr-grandma.jpg\" alt=\"TAVR Patient Grandma\" width=\"700\" height=\"386\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI felt like I was slowing down. I was gaining weight,\u201d Barbara recalled. \u201cI was embarrassed. I didn\u2019t want people to think I was old.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her diagnosis revealed severe aortic stenosis\u2014a condition that restricts blood flow through the heart\u2019s aortic valve, causing fatigue, shortness of breath, and other symptoms that can seriously impact quality of life.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/Images\/aortic-stenosis-valve-rounded-edges.jpg\" alt=\"Aortic Stenosis\" width=\"400\" height=\"416\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Dr. Hastings Recommended Medtronic Evolut TAVR<\/h2>\n<p>Barbara was referred to Englewood Health in Englewood, New Jersey, where Dr. Ramin Hastings, Director of the Structural Heart Program and an interventional cardiologist, reviewed her case.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6554 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/hastings_ramin_md-englewood.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Ramin Hastings\" width=\"300\" height=\"375\" \/>Dr. Ramin Hastings<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBarbara was a classic severe aortic stenosis patient who could benefit from TAVR,\u201d said Dr. Hastings. \u201cShe had severe disease, but with TAVR, her hospital stay in most cases would only be a day or two.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Given Barbara\u2019s anatomy, medical profile and the results of the SMART Clinical Trial, Dr. Hastings selected the Medtronic Evolut TAVR valve, which provides a large valve opening5 for blood flow and superior valve performance\u2020 in women with small heart valves.3<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Hastings stated, \u201cBarbara was the quintessential small valve patient. For me, in that patient population, the Evolut is a clear winner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>How Is Barbara Doing After TAVR?<\/h2>\n<p>Barbara felt the difference immediately after her TAVR procedure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI could breathe. I felt younger. I could walk up and down steps again,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n<p>Her rapid recovery allowed Barbara to return quickly to the things she loves\u2014traveling, spending time with family, and even dancing again.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6555 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/dance-showcase-barbara-arnofsky.jpg\" alt=\"Barbara Arnofsky (TAVR Patient) Dancing\" width=\"500\" height=\"419\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>TAVR risks may include, but are not limited to, death, stroke, damage to the arteries, bleeding, and need for permanent pacemaker.\u00a0 Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of a TAVR procedure. Inspired by her success, Medtronic invited Barbara to share her story at a recent cardiac conference, highlighting how TAVR can restore not just health, but joy and confidence.<\/p>\n<p>Inspired by her success, Medtronic invited Barbara to share her story at a recent cardiac conference, highlighting how TAVR can restore not just health, but joy and confidence.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Our Community Is Grateful<\/h2>\n<p>Barbara\u2019s story is a testament to the power of innovation and compassionate care.<\/p>\n<p>We extend our gratitude to Dr. Hastings, the entire team at Englewood Health, and Medtronic for their ongoing commitment to improving heart health through the Evolut TAVR system.<\/p>\n<p>Related Links:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/smart-clinical-trial-women-aortic-stenosis\/\">Women\u2019s Heart Health Alert: SMART Clinical Trial Reveals Medtronic Evolut Treatment Advantage<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/videos\/6-tips-aortic-stenosis-women\">Patient Webinar: 6 Expert Tips for Women with Aortic Stenosis<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/medtronic-tavr-procedure\">Low-Risk TAVR: What Should You Know?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/tavrfinder.com\/3cfjym95\">Free Patient eBook: Top 7 Facts About Medtronic Evolut TAVR<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Keep on tickin\u2019 Barbara!<br \/>\nAdam<\/p>\n<p>\u2020 Based on the 1 year follow-up results from the SMART clinical trial which showed differences in valve performance\u2021\u00a0for Evolut\u2122 compared to SAPIEN\u2122* and no differences in safety outcomes. SMART primarily studied small annulus patients, predominantly women<sup>2<\/sup>. Additional clinical trials on women, regardless of their annulus size, have shown comparable mortality rates in women and men treated with TAVR<sup>3<\/sup>\u00a0and lower mortality rates for women treated with TAVR compared to women treated with surgical valve replacement<sup>4<\/sup>\u00a0at 1 year after the procedure.\u200b<\/p>\n<p>\u2021 Valve performance is as defined as freedom from bioprosthetic valve dysfunction (BVD) through 12 months. BVD is defined as a composite including any of the following: hemodynamic structural valve dysfunction (mean gradient \u2265 20 mmHg), non-structural valve dysfunction (severe prothesis-patient mismatch or \u2265 moderate aortic regurgitation), clinical thrombosis, endocarditis, and aortic valve reintervention.<\/p>\n<p>References:<\/p>\n<p>1.STS\/ACC TVT Registry 2015-2023 National Slide Set. National Cardiovascular Data Registry: STS\/TVT Registry. Available at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncdr.com\/WebNCDR\/docs\/default-source\/tvt-\">https:\/\/www.ncdr.com\/WebNCDR\/docs\/default-source\/tvt-<\/a>quality-tools-and-reference-documents\/tvt-national-slide-set_11_22_24.pdf. Accessed Sept 24, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>2.Tch\u00e9tch\u00e9 D, Mehran R, Blackman DJ, et al. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation by Valve Type in Women With Small Annuli: Results From the SMART Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Cardiol. Published online October 09, 2024.<\/p>\n<p>3.Forrest, J.K., et al., Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Women Versus Men (from the US CoreValve Trials). Am J Cardiol, 2016. 118(3): p. 396-402.<\/p>\n<p>4.Skelding, K.A., et al., Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Versus Surgery in Women at High Risk for Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (from the CoreValve US High Risk Pivotal Trial). Am J Cardiol, 2016. 118(4): p. 560-6.<\/p>\n<p>5.Flameng W et al. Prosthesis-patient mismatch predicts structural valve degeneration in bioprosthetic heart valves. Circulation. 2010 May 18;121(19):2123-9.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"cms.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"class_list":["post-6550","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-patient-stories"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6550"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6587,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6550\/revisions\/6587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}