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.

Treating younger patients with TAVR increases risk of death
Treating patients younger than 65 with TAVR is associated with certain risks for heart teams to consider. Fortunately, researchers found, care teams appear to be choosing patients wisely.
Cardiologist demand is on the rise—can hospitals keep up?
Demand for inpatient and outpatient cardiology services is expected to increase significantly in the next decade, putting hospitals and health systems in a position where they need to plan ahead or risk falling behind.
Self-expanding vs. balloon-expandable TAVR valves: How they compare after 5 years
SOLVE-TAVI focused on the long-term impact of selecting different second-generation transcatheter heart valves and anesthesia strategies for transfemoral TAVR procedures.
New data put a spotlight on troubling TAVR trends
Philippe Genereux, MD, principal investigator of the EARLY TAVR trial, noted that many patients with severe AS still go untreated.
How robotic-assisted mitral valve repair compares to conventional surgery
Costs remain a concern, especially for low-volume centers, but robotic-assisted MV repair is associated with short-term outcomes comparable to more conventional techniques.

BMS Q2 income rises 36% due to Plavix sales, reduced spending

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) has reported its financial earnings for the 2009 second quarter, recording a 36 percent increase in net income over the previous-year quarter.

July 29, 2009

Lilly books 21% income growth for Q2

Eli Lilly has reported its financial results, recording $1.16 billion for the 2009 second quarter, compared with $958 million in the year-ago quarter--an increase of 21 percent.

July 28, 2009

Keeping the Numbers Down for Diabetics

The care and treatment of diabetics is a rapidly growing segment of cardiovascular medicine. Those with diabetes need to maintain their glucose levels, keep their blood pressure stable and not be bogged down with a daily panoply of pills. Several articles over the past month attest to these needs.

July 28, 2009

AIM: Delays in defibrillation not explained by traditional hospital factors

Traditional hospital factors--such as case volume and academic status--do not appear to predict whether patients with cardiac arrest at that facility are likely to experience delays in receiving defibrillation, according to a large registry study in the July 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

July 28, 2009

Lancet: Avandia does not increase overall cardiovascular death in diabetes

The addition of rosiglitazone (Avandia from GlaxoSmithKline) to glucose-lowering therapy in people with type 2 diabetes does not increase the risk of overall cardiovascular morbidity or mortality compared with standard glucose-lowering drugs, according to the RECORD trial in the June 20 edition of the Lancet.

July 22, 2009

JACC: Extreme glucose levels in diabetics with heart failure increases risk of death

Compared with patients with moderately controlled glucose levels, diabetic patients who have heart failure and either too high or too low glucose levels may be at increased risk of death, according to a retrospective study published online July 17 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

July 21, 2009

Baxter has strong Q2, raises outlook for Q3

Baxter International has reported strong financial results for the second quarter of 2009, causing the company to raise its third quarter financial outlook.

July 18, 2009

Merck settles with 35 states for $5.4M over Vytorin, Zetia marketing

Merck and Schering-Plough, along with their joint venture, Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals, have reached a civil settlement of $5.4 million with a group of attorneys general representing 35 states and Washington, D.C., who investigated whether the companies violated state consumer protection laws in connection with the ENHANCE trial or by their promotion and marketing of Vytorin and Zetia.

July 18, 2009

Around the web

Health Imaging

Use of AI opportunistic screening in CT for cardiovascular disease

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

Health Imaging

New imaging protocols proposed to curb rise of cardiovascular infections

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Structural Heart Disease

Treating younger patients with TAVR increases risk of death

Cardiologist demand is on the rise—can hospitals keep up?

Self-expanding vs. balloon-expandable TAVR valves: How they compare after 5 years

New data put a spotlight on troubling TAVR trends

How robotic-assisted mitral valve repair compares to conventional surgery

Around the web