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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Cincinnati researcher awarded American Heart Association prize for advancing knowledge of cardiovascular disease in children

The American Heart Association today awarded its Basic Research Prize for 2013 to pediatric cardiologist and researcher Jeffrey A. Towbin, M.D., of Cincinnati, for “highly significant additions to our basic knowledge of cardiovascular disease in children.”

AHA: Repair or replace for mitral regurgitation? It’s a tie

Physicians tend to favor mitral valve repair over replacement for patients with severe ischemic mitral regurgitation, but a study published online Nov. 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine found no significant difference between treatment options. The results were presented simultaneously at the American Heart Association’s scientific session in Dallas.

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AHA: Lower-temp therapeutic hypothermia may not offer benefit

Despite international recommendations, a low body temperature may not benefit unconscious patients who survive a possibly cardiac-related cardiac arrest outside the hospital setting, according to a study published online Nov. 17 in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Will guidelines quash drugs in the pipeline?

New guidelines for managing patients’ cholesterol won’t greatly affect the statin industry, the New York Times reported, but they could put a damper on new classes of drugs under development such as PCSK9 inhibitors.

USPSTF mostly neutral on supplements in draft statement

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) took a broader look at vitamin and mineral supplements to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease or cancer and appeared to be unswayed in a draft recommendation statement.

First live Case with innovative transapical access technology at EACTS

The use of Apica's innovative transapical access technology was successfully demonstrated for the first time at the 27th European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) congress in Vienna. EACTS is one of the largest cardiac congress in the world, with around 6,500 participants.

4 guidelines target cardiovascular disease prevention

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) released four prevention guidelines to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The 2013 joint guidelines focus on cardiovascular risk assessment, lifestyle management, cholesterol treatment and managing overweight and obese adults.

ACE inhibitor/ARB combo risky in patients with diabetic nephropathy

Using ACE inhibitors along with ARBs increased the risk of adverse events in patients with diabetic nephropathy in a study published online Nov. 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Investigators stopped the study early due to safety concerns.

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