Updated advice for people with heart valve disease

More people who need a new heart valve can have a less invasive procedure instead of surgery, according to updated guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association. Most valve replacements are in people with a stiff, thickened aortic valve. The less invasive procedure, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, was initially approved only for people who were too weak or frail to undergo surgery. Today, many people ages 65 and older who meet certain criteria can have TAVR.