Heart valve fix without a surgeon in the building? new trial aims to prove It's safe

This study looks at whether a common heart valve replacement (TAVI) can be performed safely in hospitals that do not have a cardiac surgery team on-site. Currently, TAVI is only done in hospitals with heart surgery backup, which can cause long wait times. The trial will randomly assign 404 patients aged 70 or older with severe aortic stenosis to get TAVI either at a standard hospital or at a pilot center without on-site surgery but with other safety measures in place. The goal is to see if the procedure is just as safe after 30 days, which could help more people get faster treatment.