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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TMVR device nearly wipes out mitral regurgitation

An investigational transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) device helped reduce mitral regurgitation to zero or trace levels in 98.7 percent of patients, according to 30-day follow-up data from the first 100 people scheduled to be treated with Abbott’s Tendyne system.

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TAVR doesn’t raise procedural stroke risk for patients with previous strokes

Despite being performed in an older population with more cardiovascular comorbidities, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) demonstrated similarly low rates of postoperative stroke and mortality compared with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in a study of patients with previous strokes.

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15-year mortality 10 times higher among congenital heart surgery survivors

Although survival after congenital heart surgery is improving, patients who receive procedures for even mild defects have long-term mortality rates at least three times higher than their counterparts in the general population, according to a U.S.-based registry study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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Acetaminophen may protect against acute kidney injury after pediatric heart surgery

Acetaminophen after pediatric heart surgery was associated with an increasingly protective effect against acute kidney injury (AKI), according to an analysis of separate cohorts at two children’s hospitals.

Transcatheter mitral chordal replacement system successful in 1st human patient

The first patient to be treated with a novel mitral valve repair system is recovering and showed no complications during a 30-day follow-up period, according to a press release issued by the system's developer.

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Edwards gains CE mark for first transcatheter tricuspid treatment

Edwards Lifesciences has received CE mark approval for its Cardioband Tricuspid Valve Reconstruction System, making it the first commercially available transcatheter therapy to treat tricuspid valve heart disease.

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Drug-related endocarditis leads to ethical dilemma for doctors

With the opioid epidemic in full swing and many intravenous drug users likely to relapse and require even more challenging and expensive treatment, physicians are left to grapple with what to do about repeat cases of infective endocarditis.

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Delayed discharge after TAVR linked to higher mortality

A late-breaking study presented at SCAI 2018 demonstrated that patients who stay in the hospital for more than 72 hours after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are more likely to die in the following year than those with earlier discharges.

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.