TAVR Explant: Why Mortality Is Dropping & How Surgeons Are Changing the Game featuring Dr. Kaneko and Dr. Pop

TAVR explants were once considered high-risk, last-resort surgeries—with mortality rates as high as 18–20%. But recent data and surgical advances are changing the conversation.In this episode, Dr. Tsuyoshi Kaneko, Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, joins Dr. Andrei Pop to discuss:Why TAVR explant rates are rising and who needs themHow mortality has dropped to 5–6% in recent seriesThe impact of standardized techniques and better patient selectionStrategies for small root management and planning for future valve-in-valveWhen to choose TAVR explant vs. TAVR-in-TAVRThe role of early referrals and multidisciplinary valve teamsWhether you’re a cardiologist, surgeon, or part of a structural heart team, this conversation is packed with practical pearls for lifetime management of aortic valve disease.🔔 Subscribe for more insights from interventional experts and real-world program builders.📱 Download the app: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1586692687📺 Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfrLYhAhliQ2ZvXinkDCZvAChapters:00:00 – Intro & why TAVR explant matters 01:20 – Early mortality data & fears in the field 03:50 – Why outcomes are improving 05:35 – Patient selection & referral timing 08:00 – Updated STS risk calculator for TAVR explant 10:25 – Centers of expertise & complex root work 13:15 – Techniques for small root management 15:45 – Explant after valve-in-valve TAVR 18:00 – Balloon vs. self-expanding valve challenges 20:20 – Snorkel stents and surgical headaches 22:00 – Implant strategy anticipating lifetime management 24:15 – TAVR first? The bicuspid debate 27:00 – Lifetime management beyond the first procedure 28:35 – Final thoughts on team approach#TAVR #CardiothoracicSurgery #AorticValve #ValveInValve #HeartTeam #StructuralHeart #TAVRExplant #AorticRoot #InterventionalCardiology #MurmurMD