Cardiac Surgery

Cardiothoracic surgery includes coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), heart valve repair or replacement, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement, heart transplant, assisting in minimally invasive transcatheter valve structural heart procedures such as TAVR, left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion, septal myectomy, surgical ablation for arrhythmias, and reconstruction of the heart in congenial heart disease cases. 

Study reveals similar 5-year outcomes for TAVR, SAVR

An analysis of PARTNER 2 data published in the New England Journal of Medicine Jan. 29 suggests five-year post-op outcomes are similar among heart patients who undergo either transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement.

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Is volume an accurate measure of success when it comes to mitral valve surgery?

Nearly 93% of the U.S. population lives in a hospital referral region with at least one medical center that performs 25 or more mitral valve repairs or replacements each year, according to work published in JAMA Cardiology—but MVRR centers continue to suffer from significant geographical and patient-level disparities.

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TAVR linked to better long-term health status than SAVR

Patients with severe aortic stenosis who undergo TAVR enjoy a minor but significant sustained health benefit that isn’t mirrored in patients who opt for surgical AVR, according to research reported at TCT 2019 in San Francisco.

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As Surgery Gives Way to Transcatheter Procedures, Is the Cardiology Cash Cow in Jeopardy?

With minimally invasive structural procedures crowding out their surgical counterparts, how are physicians and hospitals preparing for the new reality? 

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CABG trumps PCI in multivessel CAD patients

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery beat out stent placement with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a recent study of patients with multivessel coronary artery disease. Patients saw lower risks of death, hospital readmission and revascularization with the former procedure.

Around the web

Several key trends were evident at the Radiological Society of North America 2024 meeting, including new CT and MR technology and evolving adoption of artificial intelligence.

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