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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High-risk TAVR, SAVR patients see similar survival at 5 years

High-risk transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) patients see the same rates of functional recovery and survival as surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) patients half a decade after their procedures, according to data published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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Report: Death rates tripled in 2-year span at Florida pediatric heart program

The Tampa Bay Times published a lengthy investigative piece Nov. 28 about recent problems at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the heart surgery unit saw a tripling in its mortality rate from 2015 to 2017.

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Women who snore face greater CVD risk than men

Though a significantly greater proportion of men are snorers, research presented Nov. 29 at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual meeting in Chicago suggests women who snore or experience obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at a greater risk for early cardiac dysfunction than their male counterparts.

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MitraClip survivors show substantial, lasting gains in quality of life

Although nearly a quarter of patients in a U.S. registry study died in the year following transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR), those who survived showed significant gains in health status.

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Risk of major stroke lower after transfemoral TAVR than SAVR

The risk of major stroke was higher in the 30 days following surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) compared to transfemoral TAVR, according to a propensity-matched analysis from the PARTNER trials published Nov. 12 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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Atrial septostomy, earlier arterial switch operations linked to improved survival

A new study published in Circulation emphasized the importance of prompt arterial switch operations (ASOs) for infants with transposition of the great arteries, as neonates more than 6 days old were 90 percent more likely to die in the perioperative period.

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AHA.18: What needs to change to improve CHD outcomes in kids

Under the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, a blueprint for global well-being penned in 2015, officials aim to end all preventable deaths in newborns and children under 5 by 2030. And to Jackie Boucher, MS, BS, president of Children’s HealthLink in Minneapolis, that means better understanding congenital heart disease (CHD).

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Mini pacemakers could cut time, costs for pediatric heart procedures

A miniature pacemaker developed for use in infants and those with limited vascular access has passed a proof-of-concept simulation and is entering its second phase of testing, researchers from Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C., have reported.

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