not a stock symbol, but Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement. I have been reading up on this lately and without getting into details think it will eventually replace crack the chest traditional open-heart surgery for most heart valve replacements.
MY opinion, not going to argue it. So I looked first at heart valve makers. Edwards Lifescience seems to make the best but there is lots of competition and I like near monopolies.
Anybody out there with a good corporate idea to go along with TAVR growth?
The potential TAM is large, at least half the people who could benefit presently go un-treated and TAVR is being used successfully in people in their 90s.
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Edwards is definitely the best short term play (2-3 years). Medtronic is gaining market share as they have an excellent transcatheter valve which is what we use. This is the wave of the future, no doubt. The TAM increases every year because of new indications for use and the aging population (aortic valve disease is generally a disease of the elderly). Someone on these boards was invested in Edwards and we had a similar discussion maybe 6 months ago I think… NPI board I believe it was.
MC
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TAVR was initially used on those patients thought to be to ill to undergo traditional aortic valve replacement. I agree this is now changing and many more patients will be considered for the technique. I know Medtronic is heavily involved in the field.
Scott
I work with a guy who had this about a year ago. He’s had several unfortunately heart issues. I believe he first had a mechanical valve inserted during another heart surgery, that one became infected and was replaced by a tissue valve. Then last year had he to have the tissue one replaced.
The last surgery was TAVR done somewhere in the DC/MD area. I think at GW. He recovered from this one fairly quickly. I’m guessing he is only 50 at most and is in very good shape (i.e., played sports most of his life, not over weight, etc.).
From a non-medical perspective it sounds much preferred over the std process but when I mentioned it to my cardiologist she said (as I think Scott mentioned) it is usually only used on high risk patients.
Rich