Physicians and researchers complete thousands of clinical trials each year, but some findings prove far more significant than others. For cardiologist Dharmesh Patel, MD, the results of the SMART trial have changed the way he’s managing and recommending treatment for women with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis.

Some of the most talked about data at ACC.24 were the results of a late-breaking clinical trial comparing different transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) valves in patients with a small aortic annulus. 

Munster, Indiana, is a thriving suburb 30 miles south of the heart of Chicago. It’s a place where the locals like to stay local, especially when it comes to healthcare. Patients in the area often turn to 454-bed Community Hospital, one of three acute-care hospitals part of Powers Health. 

Hospitals should be making every effort to help sonographers deliver better, more accurate echocardiograms and improve the diagnosis of severe aortic stenosis. If you take care of your sonographers, your sonographers will take care of you. 

“The Evolut FX system is an improvement over previous Evolut system devices and it delivers better overall results to our patients,” says interventional cardiologist Guilherme Attizzani, MD. “It is an ideal solution for a majority of our patients.”

When the time came to select new angiography equipment at Benefis Health System in Montana, Michael Eisenhauer, MD, named three attributes the new suite would have to deliver without compromise. Number 1 was image quality. Number 2 was image quality. Number 3? Say it one more time.

Change is on the horizon for cath labs all over the world as more and more interventional cardiologists are starting to use coronary CT angiography to plan and guide PCI procedures. Patients, physicians, catheterization labs and healthcare systems all stand to gain from this growing trend.

Identifying patients with severe aortic stenosis who could potentially benefit from transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is very important—but managing and tracking them over time can be quite a challenge.