A Life Made Easier: A Patient’s Story

TAVR Procedure Relieves Symptoms of Aortic Stenosis

Virginia Yagerhofer has lived with a heart murmur for quite some time and knew she would eventually need surgery to correct the issue. “I had a cardiologist from UC Davis that I had been seeing for quite some time and we were consistently monitoring my condition,” she says. “My tests eventually showed that it was time for surgical intervention and he referred me to Dr. Devang Desai for a TAVR procedure.”

The TAVR procedure is designed to treat severe aortic valve stenosis, which causes blocked or slowed blood flow from the heart. Dr. Desai assessed Virginia’s condition and confirmed that she was a candidate for the TAVR procedure. She became only the tenth person to receive this procedure at Sierra Medical Center.

Confidence in the doctor and medical team

“I was so glad that I could have this surgery in Reno instead of having to travel to San Francisco,” she says. “I was confident that Dr. Desai would do an excellent job. He was wonderful.”

Virginia was impressed with the staff in the operating room and those that cared for her in recovery, saying that the procedure was one of the easiest things she had done in her life. “I rate Sierra Medical Center as five stars,” she says. “Everyone was so top level that it’s hard to pick just one person who made the experience great.”

Due to the minimally invasive nature of the procedure, Virginia was in and out of Sierra within 23 hours and out to lunch with her friends the next day.

A couple of months following her surgery, Virginia is recovering well. Although she still experiences minor symptoms, she is excited to return to her hobbies and job as a custom frame builder.