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.

‘A compelling alternative’: Polymer heart valve receives first commercial approval of its kind
A new surgical mitral valve from Foldax will now be commercially available in India. The valve is built using LifePolymer, a proprietary material that does not include animal tissue.
TAVR specialists come together to explore new data, patient selection and much more
Care teams have a lot to consider when choosing the right treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis. Two cardiologists and a veteran cardiothoracic surgeon are taking part in a new webinar focused on that very topic.
Heart surgeons perform world’s first robotic TAVR explant and aortic valve replacement
The patient, 67, presented with a failing TAVR valve and a leaky mitral valve. She had undergone TAVR four years prior, but premature structural valve degeneration made a full replacement necessary. Surgeons ultimately removed the TAVR valve in addition to replacing her aortic and mitral valves—all with the help of advanced robotics.
Real-world data favor SAVR over TAVR when younger patients need aortic valve replacement
Researchers in Italy tracked data from more than 7,000 patients who underwent AVR between the ages of 65 and 80. TAVR was associated with a significantly higher long-term risk of mortality.
Heart patients benefit when cardiologists follow a standardized TAVR protocol
Using a standardized approach, including the cusp overlap technique, is associated with improved patient outcomes when implanting Medtronic's self-expanding TAVR valves. Researchers tracked data from more than 600 patients treated all over the world, presenting their findings in JSCAI.

Fewer antibiotic prescriptions, more IE cases followed guideline update

Antibiotic prescriptions to prevent infective endocarditis (IE) decreased following a 2007 guideline update from the American Heart Association—even among high-risk patients for whom antibiotics were still recommended. Those patients showed an estimated 177 percent increase in IE incidence over the next several years, according to a new study.

Consensus document aims to bring ‘coherence’ to PFO treatment

Eight European scientific societies joined forces to produce what they say is the first interdisciplinary position paper to help clinicians manage patients with patent foramen ovales (PFOs).

SAVR volumes alone not predictive of TAVR outcomes—but combined experience is

Hospitals offering transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) tend to produce the best survival outcomes when both TAVR and surgical AVR (SAVR) caseloads remain high, according to a study published Oct. 31 in JAMA Cardiology.

Dialysis raises short-term death risk in kidney patients undergoing TAVI

Kidney dialysis is an independent predictor of mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), according to a seven-year trial of 2,000 men and women in Karlsruhe, Germany.

AHA, CHF funnel $776K into congenital heart defect research

The American Heart Association and Children’s Heart Foundation are dedicating $776,000 to four upcoming research projects focused on congenital heart defects (CHDs), the AHA announced in late October.

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.

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.

Structural Heart Disease

‘A compelling alternative’: Polymer heart valve receives first commercial approval of its kind

TAVR specialists come together to explore new data, patient selection and much more

Heart surgeons perform world’s first robotic TAVR explant and aortic valve replacement

Real-world data favor SAVR over TAVR when younger patients need aortic valve replacement

Heart patients benefit when cardiologists follow a standardized TAVR protocol