Structural Heart Disease

Structural heart diseases include any issues preventing normal cardiovascular function due to damage or alteration to the anatomical components of the heart. This is caused by aging, advanced atherosclerosis, calcification, tissue degeneration, congenital heart defects and heart failure. The most commonly treated areas are the heart valves, in particular the mitral and aortic valves. These can be replaced through open heart surgery or using cath lab-based transcatheter valves or repairs to eliminate regurgitation due to faulty valve leaflets. This includes transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Other common procedures include left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion and closing congenital holes in the heart, such as PFO and ASD. A growing area includes transcatheter mitral repair or replacement and transcatheter tricuspid valve repair and replacement.

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Treating younger patients with TAVR increases risk of death

Treating patients younger than 65 with TAVR is associated with certain risks for heart teams to consider. Fortunately, researchers found, care teams appear to be choosing patients wisely. 

Newsweek ranked the 50 best heart hospitals in the world

Cardiologist demand is on the rise—can hospitals keep up?

Demand for inpatient and outpatient cardiology services is expected to increase significantly in the next decade, putting hospitals and health systems in a position where they need to plan ahead or risk falling behind. 

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Self-expanding vs. balloon-expandable TAVR valves: How they compare after 5 years

SOLVE-TAVI focused on the long-term impact of selecting different second-generation transcatheter heart valves and anesthesia strategies for transfemoral TAVR procedures.

Philippe Genereux explains how EARLY TAVR will help raise awareness for undertreatment of TAVR.

New data put a spotlight on troubling TAVR trends

Philippe Genereux, MD, principal investigator of the EARLY TAVR trial, noted that many patients with severe AS still go untreated.

robotic-assisted mitral valve repair compared to conventional surgery

How robotic-assisted mitral valve repair compares to conventional surgery

Costs remain a concern, especially for low-volume centers, but robotic-assisted MV repair is associated with short-term outcomes comparable to more conventional techniques. 

Gilbert Tang, MD, explains new tricuspid TEER TRILUMINATE data that now shows clinical efficacy.

Tricuspid TEER shows clinical efficacy for first time in newest TRILUMINATE data

Gilbert Tang, MD, spoke to Cardiovascular Business about late-breaking data from the TRILUMINATE IDE trial. While early results were promising, these latest findings highlight the TriClip device's true value for the first time.

Abbott TriClip tricuspid edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER) device shown on transesophageal echo (TEE). The device clips together the leaflets of the valve to form a better seal and reduce regurgitation without the need for open heart surgery. Photo by Dave Fornell

Cardiology societies push Medicare to pay for tricuspid TEER

Six multispecialty cardiovascular societies have called on CMS to approve Medicare payments for tricuspid transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER).

Philippe Genereux, MD, explains the details of the EARLY TAVR trial, which compared early interventions vs. waiting in patients with asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis.

Cardiologist behind EARLY TAVR explains how proactive treatment improves patient outcomes

Philippe Genereux, MD, principal investigator of the EARLY TAVR trial, discussed how a proactive treatment strategy for patients with asymptomatic AS can lead to better outcomes and improvements in quality of life.

Around the web

Ron Blankstein, MD, professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, explains the use of artificial intelligence to detect heart disease in non-cardiac CT exams.

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

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