Summary

This article presented data from an international multicenter study to evaluate a cardiac valve designed for placement without the need for a median sternotomy. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) performed as well as surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), and improved survival at 1 and 2 years compared with medical management in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). The Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valve trial [PARTNER; Leon MB et al. N Engl J Med 2010] was designed to investigate the safety and effectiveness of TAVR in patients with severe AS.