A special return
Three months after undergoing the minimally invasive TAVR procedure at UNC Hospitals, Durham resident Jim Aspell is resuming normal activities.
When Jim Aspell became the first patient at UNC to receive a new aortic heart valve using transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), he had two primary goals: 1.) to survive and spend Easter with his family and 2.) to return to the Dean E. Smith Center to watch Carolina basketball.
“Climbing those steps in the Dean Dome was quite a challenge,” Aspell explained. “I had to stop a lot to catch my breath, and once I was in my seat, I couldn’t get up during the entire game.”
Aspell was suffering from aortic valve stenosis, which occurs when the opening of the aortic valve becomes calcified and thick and the valve no longer opens fully with each heartbeat. When symptoms such as shortness of breath develop from aortic stenosis the average life expectancy is only one to two years, with a prognosis that is worse than most cancers if left untreated.
Enter TAVR, which provides a treatment option for patients like Aspell who are considered too high risk for conventional open heart surgery. With TAVR, physicians now have the ability to provide aortic valve replacement via minimally invasive approaches, including intervention without an incision. Outcomes are as good as, and sometimes better than, surgical valve replacement.
Thanks to TAVR and the UNC team that performed it, Aspell made his triumphant return to the Dean Dome to cheer on his beloved Heels while soaking in the game-day atmosphere he loves so much. And in a few short weeks he’ll be spending cherished time with his family at Easter.
