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.

Newsweek ranked the 50 best heart hospitals in the world

Young SAVR patients live longer with mechanical valves—should surgeons, cardiologists rethink current practice?

Bioprosthetic valves are being used more and more for aortic valve replacement, but mechanical valves appear to provide better long-term outcomes for patients 60 and younger. The new study, based on data from nearly 110,000 patients, was presented at STS 2025 and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Cardiologists in Spain encountered an unexpected complication in a 78-year-old transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) patient, highlighting the experience in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

TAVR valve’s spontaneous leaflet rupture highlights importance of long-term follow-up

Cardiologists believe this is the first time this exact complication has been reported. Even patients who present with no known risk factors, they said, should receive regular follow-up care to ensure such incidents do not go untreated. 

ACC.24 sign American College of Cardiology

American College of Cardiology announces late-breaking clinical trials for ACC.25

The presentations will cover a variety of topics, including coronary artery disease, semaglutide, artificial intelligence, TAVR, heart failure, PCI and much more. ACC.25 takes place March 29-31 in Chicago.

A majority of medical devices involved in Class I recalls were never required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to undergo premarket or postmarket clinical testing, according to new research published in Annals of Internal Medicine.[1]

Valve durability after TAVR: Cardiologists track how deterioration influences outcomes

Researchers have made it a priority to learn as much about the durability of TAVR valves as possible. A new study in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions used updated VARC-3 definitions to identify signs of hemodynamic valve deterioration in nearly 2,500 patients.

Meril Life Sciences, an India-based medical device company founded in 2006, developed the Myval TAVR valve

Early outcomes with Myval TAVR valve comparable to popular devices from Medtronic, Edwards

Meril Life Sciences has been manufacturing its Myval heart valves for years. The devices are approved and available in both India and Europe, but they have not been approved by the FDA.

STS President Jennifer C. Romano, MD, MS, a congenital heart surgeon with Mott Children’s Hospital and professor with the University of Michigan (UM) Medical School, spoke with Cardiovascular Business to preview STS 2025.

Q&A: Society of Thoracic Surgeons president previews the trends and technologies of STS 2025

It looked like the wildfires in Los Angeles could force STS to cancel its annual meeting, but the group worked with city officials and was able to carry on as planned. STS President Jennifer C. Romano, MD, MS, discussed that difficult decision and previewed the three-day event in a new interview.

cardiologist viewing heart data

Aortic valve calcium scores help predict need for a permanent pacemaker after TAVR

RBBB remains the single strongest predictor for PPMI after TAVR, but high AV calcium scores still provide care teams with considerable value.

A TAVR procedure being performed at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. These structural heart procedures require a team approach.

Diabetes reduces survival after SAVR, but not TAVR

"TAVR has been associated with better valve hemodynamics and a lower risk of structural valve deterioration over time compared with SAVR," researchers wrote. "This benefit may be particularly relevant for diabetes patients who face higher risks of vascular complications."

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.