Heart Teams for Aortic Valve Disease: The TAVI Revolution

Severe aortic valve stenosis is associated with poor prognosis without intervention. Surgical aortic valve replacement was the standard intervention until the advent of transcatheter aortic valve implantation in 2002. The last two decades witnessed a rapid evolution in decision-making, technology and techniques. Concurrently, patients with aortic stenosis are becoming increasingly more complex. A multidisciplinary “Heart Team” facilitates navigation through a complex and continually evolving decision-making environment. This chapter explores the history, composition, role, benefits, challenges, and future of the Heart Team evaluating aortic stenosis in general with specific anecdotes as it applies to the authors’ center: The University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) in Ottawa, Canada.