PHOENIX – Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital has treated its first patient using the Evolut™ FX+ transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system, a minimally invasive alternative to open-heart surgical aortic valve replacement. The hospital is first in Arizona to offer this new TAVR system.

The Evolut™ FX+ further refines the Evolut TAVR platform, designed to facilitate coronary access, for the treatment of symptomatic severe aortic stenosis. TAVR can be an effective option to improve quality of life in patients who otherwise have limited choices for repair of their aortic valve.

The first procedure in Arizona was performed by the heart team led by Dr. Timothy Byrne, a Structural Interventional Cardiologist at Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital. TAVR procedures enable the medical team to implant a replacement valve through a small incision, eliminating the need to surgically open a patient’s chest.

Aortic stenosis occurs when the aortic valve leaflets become stiff and thickened and have difficulty opening and closing, making the heart work harder to pump blood to the rest of the body. The disease can impact quality of life and limits one’s ability to participate in daily activities. If left untreated, 50% of patients with patients with severe aortic stenosis can die from heart failure in as little as two years.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the Evolut FX+ TAVR system, providing physicians at Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital with another option to treat the growing patient population affected by symptomatic severe aortic stenosis.

"It is encouraging to see how the Evolut FX TAVR platform has evolved considerably over time and brought our heart teams another treatment option. With this FDA approval of the Evolut FX+ TAVR system, the system is now designed to facilitate coronary access while maintaining the performance and durability of the platform," said Dr. Byrne. “We are proud to provide a new option another option to treat patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis here in Arizona.”