BAV patients are often excluded from TAVR trials, creating uncertainty about the best way to treat that population when aortic valve replacement is required. To learn more, researchers tracked CMS data from 2018 to 2022, presenting their findings in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

The care team behind the very first robotic aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass surgery has written about the experience in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. The group discussed the development of the technique, how the patient was chosen for treatment and other key details.

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. 

Robotic-assisted aortic valve surgery may be a safe, effective alternative to TAVR when treating low- and intermediate-risk patients. A new analysis in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery explored this topic at length.

Researchers tracked recent TAVR data from the STS/ACC TVT Registry, highlighting a "concerning" finding they were unable to explain.

Four leading cardiothoracic surgery societies have joined forces in the name of developing clinical practice guidelines that are more thorough and consistent.

If passed, this bill would help clinician-led clinical registries explore Medicare data for research purposes. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and American College of Cardiology both shared public support for the bipartisan legislation. 

The new AUC document was designed to help care teams know when and how to perform imaging-based cardiovascular evaluations on patients undergoing nonemergent, noncardiac surgery.