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.
The trend to get PCI patients out of the hospital safely on the same day as their procedure has long been a goal for many health systems. WellStar Kennestone Regional Hospital, part of WellStar Health System in Atlanta, made same-day discharge for a vast majority of PCI patients a mission three years ago.
“Good harmony” is the way John P. Erwin III, MD, describes the synergy of the 2021 ESC/EACTS Guidelines for the management of valvular heart disease (VHD) released in August along with the ACC/AHA guidelines that rolled in December 2020.
It’s not uncommon for severe aortic stenosis to go unrecognized, and thus untreated. When the data points to the existence of low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis, a diagnosis can be even more challenging.
Just-released valvular heart disease guidelines favor transcatheter interventions for the right patient and more shared decision-making among heart teams, physicians and severe aortic stenosis patients with an eye toward types of valves and approaches, and lifetime benefits and risks.
Learn from four leading cardiologists on the movement of TAVR into this low-risk patient population, how hospitals are increasing awareness among physicians and patients and the importance of connecting patients with heart teams.
