Doctors at Advocate Sherman Hospital performed the 100th transcatheter aortic valve replacement on John Schweisthal in Batavia on November 16. TAVR is a minimally invasive surgery used to treat valve and structural heart disease, including aortic valve stenosis, without the need for open heart surgery. Rick West | Full-time Photographer

When his doctor told him that he had severe aortic stenosis, John Schwestar of Batavia was preparing for hip replacement surgery. On November 16, he underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement at Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin. Rick West | Full-time Photographer

"I thought they would chop me up like a Christmas goose." John Schweisthal of Batavia said when he learned that he needed an operation to repair severe aortic stenosis of. Rick West | Full-time Photographer

John Schwestar of Batavia is the 100th patient undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement at Elgin Advocate Sherman Hospital. He took a photo with Watchman and TAVR coordinator Elise Lynch, interventional cardiologist Dr. Richard Park, and cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon Dr. William Polito on November 16th shortly after the operation. Provided by Advocate Sherman Hospital

John Schwestar of Batavia now has a healthy heart, and he can thank his hips for that.

During a recent pre-hip replacement checkup, the 75-year-old was told by his doctor that he had a potentially life-threatening condition called severe aortic stenosis. Schwestar's initial reaction was that he didn't want to hear anything about heart surgery.

"I think this is a nightmare," he said. "I am afraid of completing it, and afraid of not completing it."

Schwestar said the fear of surgery kept him awake at night. As the holidays approached, he couldn't help comparing the dining table with the dining table in his mind.

"I thought they would carve me into pieces of meat like a Christmas goose," he said.

A week later, on November 16, Schwestar underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) at Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin.

A day later, he returned home and felt good.

"I was surprised that there was no pain," Schwestar said. "This is crazy, a modern miracle of medical science."

Schweisthal's TAVR operation was performed in Sherman for the 100th time, about two years after the first operation in the hospital.

TAVR is a minimally invasive surgery used to treat valve and structural heart disease, including aortic valve stenosis, without the need for open heart surgery. Aortic valve stenosis occurs when a patient's heart valve narrows or hardens due to calcium accumulation and blood cannot flow freely. This condition makes breathing difficult and may be life-threatening.

"This is a very good option, only for the most severely ill patients," said Dr. William Polito, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, who performed the procedure with interventional cardiologist Dr. Richard Parker. "But now we have found that its quality and results have been approved for surgical patients who we believe are lower risk."

For Schwestar's transcatheter aortic valve replacement, Polito and Parker made two small incisions near his groin and used a catheter to place the replacement valve on the old, damaged aortic valve. The new valve then expands to full size and immediately takes over the work of the damaged valve, regulating blood flow on its own.

The procedure took about an hour.

Parker said that if Schwestar did not undergo surgery, his shortness of breath would get worse and he would eventually experience heart failure. Although he said Schwestar can perform open heart surgery, it will bring longer recovery time and greater risks.

"Patients have many options that they didn't have before," Parker said. "With the TAVR valve, he can get up and walk immediately and go home the next day. He will recover better from hip surgery."

Schwestar hopes to have hip surgery as soon as possible. But before that, he plans to visit his daughter, son, and four grandchildren on Thanksgiving Day in Appleton, Wisconsin.

"Throughout the process, I really realized that tomorrow is not a guarantee," Schwestar said. "Now I feel like a million dollars and I can spend the holidays with my family. It's great to think about it."