THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ananthapuri Hospitals and Research Centre here has successfully carried out heart valve replacement without open-heart surgery. The hospital has used a technique called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). The cardiovascular centre of the hospital had recently performed TAVR on 70-year-old and 78-year-old person. Aortic Stenosis is a progressive cardiovascular condition caused by the narrowing of the aortic valve. “This decreases blood flow from the heart and if left untreated, AS can lead to severe cardiovascular complications and even death,” the hospital said.