The breakthrough technique behind Mick Jagger’s high-performance training at 83

At 83, Mick Jagger still runs, dances and jumps during Rolling Stones concerts. Cardiologist Jorge Tartaglione attributed that level of performance in part to TAVI, the innovative heart procedure the singer underwent in 2019.

TAVI replaces a damaged aortic valve without conventional open-heart surgery. Doctors insert a replacement valve through a catheter, generally via an artery in the groin, and guide it to the heart. Once it reaches the diseased valve, the prosthesis expands and begins regulating blood flow.

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This is wonderful. It is called TAVI.

Tartaglione explained the procedure on LN+ using the heart’s valves as doors that open and close with every beat. Jagger had aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the valve that controls blood leaving the heart for the aorta and the rest of the body. “He had a very loud murmur because one of the doors was not opening properly. He had what is called aortic stenosis,” the cardiologist said.

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He had a very loud murmur because one of the doors was not opening properly. He had what is called aortic stenosis.

The condition forced the heart to work harder to pump blood. Tartaglione said Jagger experienced fatigue and could not perform onstage with his usual physical intensity. He compared the heart to an elastic band that may not return to its original condition after being stretched too far.

The cardiologist described the catheter-based approach as a major example of how technology has changed treatment for some heart conditions and can help patients regain their quality of life. “They go in through the groin, reach the heart and place the valve,” he said while showing an animation of the intervention.

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They go in through the groin, reach the heart and place the valve.