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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TAVR offers improved neurological outcomes, quality of life over SAVR

Intermediate-risk transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) patients see fewer strokes, deaths and encephalopathies than those who undergo surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), researchers reported in the Oct. 30 edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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TAVR shows ‘excellent safety’ at 30 days in low-risk patients

A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology provides reassurance that TAVR is a safe alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in low-risk patients, as zero of the 200 people undergoing the transcatheter procedure died or experienced a disabling stroke within 30 days.

Nonfemoral TAVR tied to greater mortality in frail seniors

Nonfemoral access routes for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are associated with significantly higher 30-day mortality rates for frail patients but not among other older adults, according to a post hoc analysis of the FRAILTY-AVR study published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Heart valve surgery linked to transient declines in cognitive function

Heart valve surgery patients, including those who undergo aortic and mitral interventions, are at risk of temporary cognitive decline for up to six months after their procedure, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society this week.

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Mother’s education, insurance status impact Hispanic infants’ odds of surviving CHD

Socioeconomic factors—namely a mother’s insurance status and level of education—weigh heavily on Hispanic infants’ chances of surviving critical congenital heart disease (CHD) in their first year of life, a study out of the University of California, San Francisco suggests.

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Trial halted amid safety concerns for rivaroxaban after TAVR

The GALILEO trial has been stopped after an early look at outcomes revealed rivaroxaban was associated with greater odds of thromboembolic events, all-cause death and bleeding events compared to antiplatelet therapy following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

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Study IDs predictors of mortality in asymptomatic aortic stenosis

Asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis are at greater risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality if they have higher peak aortic jet velocities or left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEFs) below 60 percent, researchers reported Oct. 3 in JAMA Cardiology.

Gender gap observed in early TAVI era closing

The considerable survival advantage observed in female patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) during the procedure’s earlier years has diminished in the contemporary TAVI era, according to research out of Petah Tikva, Israel, meaning men and women are seeing similar outcomes post-procedure.