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- First 24 to 48 Hours
- Week 1
- When to Call You Doctor
Its natural to feel overwhelmed or frightened at the thought of having heart surgery. While getting a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for aortic valve stenosis can initially sound intimidating, rest assured that it is a minimally invasive procedure that requires a small incision in your groin rather than a large chest incision like traditional open-heart surgery.
With TAVR, most people have a short hospital stay and a smooth, quick recovery, and they can get back to normal activities within a few days.
In the Hospital: The First 24 to 48 Hours
During TAVR, you will be under conscious sedation, which relaxes and numbs your body while allowing you to remain awake and responsive, or general anesthesia, which renders you completely unconscious. The choice depends on the preferences of your hospital or surgical team and whether you have health issues like severe obesity or obstructive sleep apnea, which can make it difficult for you to breathe on your own while consciously sedated.
Your care team will closely monitor your vitals throughout the two- to three-hour TAVR procedure and as the sedation wears off. You will feel sleepy as you wake up, and it may take longer for you to fully awake from general anesthesia.
Recovery and discharge after TAVR are relatively straightforward. Unlike open-heart surgery, which requires a stay in the intensive care unit, you will awake and recover on a regularly monitored floor after TAVR, says Gilbert Tang, MD, the surgical and academic director of the structural heart program at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. You can go home the next day or the day after, when you have no medical issues, he says.
Being able to walk is one criterion for discharge, but you wont be able to do this immediately after waking up. There's a period of bed rest for several hours to allow the artery [in the groin] to heal, says Mackram F. Eleid, MD, an interventional cardiologist with Mayo Clinic. And then patients are usually walking in the afternoon or evening that same day.
Other discharge criteria after TAVR typically include:
- Stable vital signs, including heart rhythm
- No bleeding at incision site
- No heart complications
- No evidence of abnormalities on an echocardiogram (cardiac ultrasound)
- Support from loved ones or caregivers to get you home and care for you
About 16 percent of TAVR patients develop left bundle branch block, which is a disruption in the electrical impulses that cause your heart to beat. If you have this condition, you will have to stay in the hospital for an additional day or two, until electrocardiogram readings show a stable heart rhythm.
Your provider will give you a continuous heart rhythm monitoring patch to wear at home, Dr. Tang says. Applied to your chest, the small device automatically sends your cardiac data to your electronic health record so a rhythm specialist (electrophysiologist) is aware in case something happens at home and you need to be brought to the local ER for a pacemaker, he says.
Week 1: Getting Settled at Home
During the first week after returning home from your procedure, expect to experience mild pain at the incision site and some fatigue. If you live alone, you may want to arrange for someone to stay with you during this week to help with everyday tasks like cooking or housework.
When we close the artery with sutures, it takes up to a week to heal, Tang says. The sutures are applied onto the artery and not visible on the outside. If it breaks open, you can develop a large hematoma [pool of blood at the incision site], which then may need to be surgically repaired.
To prevent bleeding and hematoma, avoid straining during bowel movements for the first three to four days. And for the first week, avoid playing sports or engaging in strenuous activity like lifting, pushing, and pulling.
You can do regular activities like showering, walking around, and taking the stairs, Tang says, but don't lift anything heavy, like taking out trash or carrying groceries.
While you heal, do not drive or have sexual intercourse until your provider says its safe.
Incision Care
Its normal to experience bruising, itchiness, or mild pain at your incision site while it heals. You can remove the dressing over the incision after a couple of days, Dr. Eleid says. But there isn't too much other care that's needed because the incision is very small," he notes.
Wash the incision site with mild soap and warm water at least once a day while you shower, and use a small adhesive bandage to protect the wound and keep it clean and dry between washes. Hold off on bathing, soaking, or swimming until youre completely healed. Make sure to avoid rubbing or irritating the area. Dont use powders, creams, lotions, or ointments on the incision and wear loose underwear and clothing.
If pain is interfering with your rest or movements, take pain medications as recommended by your provider.
You may notice a soft lump at your catheter site. This is normal, but if it suddenly grows larger or firmer, you may have bleeding that could become a hematoma. In this case, lie down and have someone press firmly above the site for 15 minutes. If the bleeding stops (it doesnt continue to grow or become firmer), remain lying down for at least two hours. If the bleeding doesnt stop, call 911 rather than drive to the hospital.
Managing Fatigue
Fatigue is a common symptom of aortic valve stenosis. You may feel unusually tired after TAVR, too, but this doesnt mean your replacement valve is faulty. Fatigue is normal for the first couple of days, just from lying in bed for the procedure and the sedation, Eleid says. But, generally, that's mild.
You may continue to feel tired as your body heals, but be patient trying to rush through your healing process wont do you any good. Consider taking at least two weeks off from work to give your body time to get back to normal.
To combat fatigue, structure your days around rest and light activity like short walks to build your stamina. Start small and gradually increase your activity level and walking trips over time.
When to Call Your Doctor
Check your wound site daily and contact your healthcare provider if you experience:
- Fever and chills
- Inflammation (redness and warmth) that doesnt go away
- Wound infection (yellow or green drainage)
- Numbness in your legs
- Worsening incision pain
Other symptoms to be aware of are worsening shortness of breath or chest discomfort or passing out, Eleid says, adding that these could be signs of a problem with your replacement valve.
The Takeaway
- TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure with a significantly shorter recovery than traditional open-heart surgery, and most patients go home within 24 to 48 hours.
- The biggest priority in your first week at home is protecting the groin incision site by avoiding heavy lifting and strenuous activity and keeping the wound clean and dry.
- Mild fatigue and incision soreness are normal after TAVR rest, light walking, and patience are key for getting back to normal.
- Contact your provider right away if you notice fever, worsening pain, drainage from the wound, or new symptoms like chest discomfort or shortness of breath.
Resources We Trust
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- Cleveland Clinic: Heart Valve Surgery Recovery: What to Expect
- Mayo Clinic: TAVR or SAVR: Which aortic valve replacement is right for me?
- National Institutes of Health: Procedure Makes Heart Valve Replacement Safer for High-Risk Patients
- American Heart Association: What Is TAVR? (TAVI)
- National Institute on Aging: Heart Health and Aging
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
SourcesResources
- Bowman L. TAVR or SAVR: Which aortic valve replacement is right for me? Mayo Clinic. June 2, 2026.
- TAVR. Cleveland Clinic. January 9, 2026.
- Butala NM et al. Conscious Sedation Versus General Anesthesia for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Variation in Practice and Outcomes. JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. June 1, 2020.
- Heart Valve Surgery Recovery: What To Expect. Cleveland Clinic. May 18, 2026.
- Effects of Anesthesia. American Society of Anesthesiologists.
- Memon S et al. Safety of Same-Day Discharge After Elective Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation With Balloon- and Self-Expanding Valves: A Prospective Single-Center UK Study. Structural Heart. November 2025.
- Mayol JI et al. New-Onset Left Bundle Branch Block After TAVI: An Updated Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine. April 15, 2026.
- Going Home After Transcatheter Valve Replacement. Henry Ford Hospital Center for Structural Heart Disease.
- After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement. Cleveland Clinic.
- After Your Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). Umass Memorial Health.
- Aortic Valve Stenosis. Mayo Clinic.
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