An associate of mine had the newest TAVR procedure. They do it that way because, theoretically, it's the least likely to cause greater cardiac damage during the process.

A variant of it is being used now in treating cardiac vein blockages for the same reason - apparently in both cases, when they clear the problem, there's a surge of circulatory fluid coming in that can damage the cardiac muscle (since in the valve replacement they need to temporarily block things to get it done cleanly).

Short form: she got the one that ensures continued quality of life.

--
Jen Dantes - Darth Mephron
Haberdasher to Androids, Dark Lady of Sith Tech Support.
"This may not be a good idea, but it's the only one I have."