TAVR is a go-to treatment for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis in much of the world, thanks in large part to the hard work of research teams that never stop looking for new, innovative ways to make the technology more effective.

TAVR procedures have surged more than 30% since 2020, with more than 107,000 patients receiving a new prosthetic valve in 2023 alone. As this trend continues, it’s increasingly important that cardiologists consider the long-term impact on future coronary interventions patients may need.  

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. 

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.”

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.

When the ACC and AHA collaborated on new valvular heart disease guidelines in 2020, the two groups highlighted the importance of interventional treatment options such as TAVR. However, an estimated one-third of patients with severe aortic stenosis in the U.S. still lack a guideline-recommended treatment plan.