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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Small island shows a big heart

The Republic of San Marino, which is known among philatelists for its postal offerings, plans to release a stamp April 3 designed to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease.

Medtronic announces FDA clearance and first uses of new oxygenation system for adult cardiac surgery

Medtronic, Inc. today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance and the first U.S. clinical uses of its new Affinity Fusion oxygenation system.

Adolescents’ poor health behaviors raise risk of heart disease as adults

U.S. adolescents’ lack of heart-healthy behaviors may increase their chances of heart disease as adults.

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STS unveils updated guidelines on aortic valves

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) published an executive summary of clinical practice guidelines on aortic valve and ascending aorta procedures in the April issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

FDA adds Invokana to approved diabetes treatments

The FDA approved canaglifozin tablets, which with diet and exercise, is used to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

NIH & TACT: Lessons learned?

The TACT trial, and by association its investigators, came under fire with publication of results that found the cardiovascular benefits of chelation therapy to be modest at best. But its sponsor, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), should shoulder a hefty portion of the criticism.

TACT: Revealed & reviled but ‘no to chelation’ message rings through

Results of the troubled TACT trial were published March 27 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a move made even more controversial with the inclusion of two accompanying editorials. But all authors agreed on one point: Routine use of chelation therapy, the focus of the trial, as a treatment for patients who experienced an MI, is not warranted.  

U.K. alerts doctors of MitraClip issue

Abbott Vascular has notified a regulatory agency in the U.K. that it has received four reports of the actuator knob in the MitraClip Clip Delivery System being turned in the wrong direction, which can prevent the successful deployment of the clip and possibly require open surgical repair.

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Key takeaways from RSNA 2024 for AI, CT, MRI and the radiology staffing shortage

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.

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