Witnessing Life-Changing TAVI Treatment at Royal Stoke Hospital

In Theatre at the Royal Stoke Hospital

This week I had the opportunity to visit Royal Stoke Hospital to see a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) procedure carried out by the cardiology team.

TAVI is a minimally invasive treatment for heart valve disease – a common but serious condition in which one or more heart valves stop working properly. Left untreated, heart valve disease can be fatal. But with procedures like TAVI, patients are able to return to living active and fulfilling lives.

The skill and precision of the clinicians performing the procedure was remarkable. I was able to observe first-hand how the team worked together, combining specialist knowledge with state-of-the-art technology to deliver a procedure that has transformed outcomes for patients across the country.

I also met a patient on the ward who had undergone the procedure just a few hours earlier. She was already sat up in a chair talking with her family and described the difference she could feel almost immediately. Hearing her story, and seeing her so quickly on the road to recovery, underlined the life-changing impact of this treatment.

Heart valve disease affects thousands of people in the UK, and too often it is not diagnosed or treated quickly enough. Visits like this highlight the importance of timely diagnosis and access to the right care.

I want to thank the team at Royal Stoke Hospital for their dedication and professionalism, and Heart Valve Voice for hosting the visit and for the important work they do in raising awareness of heart valve disease. Their efforts, alongside the work of NHS clinicians, are making a real difference for patients and families.