Aortic stenosis is a condition where the aortic valve narrows, restricting blood flow from the heart to the body.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation, or TAVI, is a minimally invasive procedure that improves the blood flow in your heart by replacing the diseased valve with a new one using a catheter, offering a safer and quicker alternative to traditional open-heart surgery, particularly for high-risk patients.

Dr. Rao’s large-scale prospective study will help answer various important questions to help improve the treatment of aortic stenosis, and predicting patients at risk of heart block after TAVI by investigating known and novel predictors of heart block in patients. Thanks to the data collected it’s been possible for other investigations to be added to the project, such as the degree and localisation of calcium on the aortic valve and its relationship to heart rhythm disorders.