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.

AHA still working to find more patients with severe aortic stenosis who may require care
The initiative is designed to help identify more patients who may require aortic valve replacement. Brian Lindman, MD, provided an update on the project's efforts.
Timing is everything: Delaying noncardiac surgery after a heart procedure reduces risks
When patients require subsequent noncardiac surgery after a major heart operation, waiting at least 100 days is one way to limit the risk of an adverse event. Read the full analysis in JACC: Advances.
The biggest names in TAVR are sharing new data at ACC.25
The country’s two biggest TAVR vendors both plan on making a splash at ACC.25. Medtronic and Edwards Lifesciences spoke to Cardiovascular Business about their plans for the three-day event in Chicago.
First-in-class SAVR valve from Edwards Lifesciences linked to positive 5-year outcomes
Researchers focused on a relatively young patient population, hoping to learn as much as possible about the surgical valve's safety and effectiveness over an extended period of time.
Key trends in transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions
Steven Bolling, MD, noted that tricuspid treatments have been linked to consistent benefits in terms of quality of life. However, he said, finding clear improvements in clinical outcomes has been more challenging.

Brian R. Lindman, MD, MSCI Medical Director, Structural Heart and Valve Center and associate professor of medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, gives an update on the American Heart Association Target: Aortic Stenosis quality improvement program to catch more missing referrals.

AHA still working to find more patients with severe aortic stenosis who may require care

The initiative is designed to help identify more patients who may require aortic valve replacement. Brian Lindman, MD, provided an update on the project's efforts.

Timing is everything: Delaying noncardiac surgery after a heart procedure reduces risks

When patients require subsequent noncardiac surgery after a major heart operation, waiting at least 100 days is one way to limit the risk of an adverse event. Read the full analysis in JACC: Advances.

ACC.24, the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), kicked off on Saturday, April 6, with a series of late-breaking clinical trials focused on testing the safety and effectiveness of new treatment strategies.

The biggest names in TAVR are sharing new data at ACC.25

The country’s two biggest TAVR vendors both plan on making a splash at ACC.25. Medtronic and Edwards Lifesciences spoke to Cardiovascular Business about their plans for the three-day event in Chicago.

Inspiris Resilia aortic valve from Edwards Lifesciences

First-in-class SAVR valve from Edwards Lifesciences linked to positive 5-year outcomes

Researchers focused on a relatively young patient population, hoping to learn as much as possible about the surgical valve's safety and effectiveness over an extended period of time.

Video of Steven Bolling, MD, professor of cardiac surgery, University of Michigan, explaining trends in tricuspid valve repair and replacement at CRT 2025.

Key trends in transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions

Steven Bolling, MD, noted that tricuspid treatments have been linked to consistent benefits in terms of quality of life. However, he said, finding clear improvements in clinical outcomes has been more challenging.

New drug shows early potential to treat aortic stenosis in some patients without TAVR, SAVR

The drug in question, ataciguat, could help heart patients avoid aortic valve replacement—or at least put it off until later in life.

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation has shared new one-year data on the safety and effectiveness of its Evoque transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) system among patients with tricuspid regurgitation (TR)

CMS approves Medicare coverage for transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement

CMS will cover TTVR for the treatment of symptomatic tricuspid regurgitation on a national level. The agency first proposed such a policy in December, taking time to consider public comments before finalizing its decision.

S. Chris Malaisrie, MD, professor of surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and attending cardiac surgeon at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Medicine, explains the late-breaking TAVR for failing bioprosthetic surgical valves five year outcomes from the PARTNER 3 Aortic Valve-in-Valve Registry at CRT 2025.

TAVR for failing surgical valves: Lessons learned from new 5-year data

S. Chris Malaisrie, MD, professor of surgery at Northwestern University, explained what these data can tell us about the lifetime management of patients who require aortic valve replacement.

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