Alain Cribier, MD, the cardiologist credited for pioneering the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement, has died at the age of 79.
In the 1960s, Dr. Cribier chose a career as a cardiologist over one as a concert pianist. He performed the first balloon aortic valvuloplasty in 1985, and in the 1990s began exploring the possibility of using a balloon-expandable valve stent to prevent restenosis and replace the diseased aortic valve.
He performed the first TAVR procedure in 2002 with the help of his team, according to a Feb. 17 obituary from the American College of Cardiology.
Since then, thousands of patients have undergone TAVRs. In 2022, Dr. Cribier was awarded the American College of Cardiology's presidential citation by Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, for his leadership and contributions in developing TAVR.