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.

At a crossroads: Surgical heart valve innovation slows as transcatheter treatments keep evolving
Has the success of TAVR and other interventional techniques had a negative impact on surgical valve innovation? Two surgeons shared their concerns in a new commentary.
Polymer heart valve, the first of its kind to gain commercial approval, linked to positive 1-year data
The new-look mitral valve is built using LifePolymer, a proprietary material that does not include any animal tissue. Both the frame and its leaflets are robotically generated to match each patient’s anatomy.
Effective, but not worth the cost: CEPD use during TAVR fails to make a significant difference
Cerebral embolic protection devices are proven to work. However, according to one cardiologist, they are still not consistently reducing stroke rates.
TTVR with Evoque system linked to positive real-world outcomes after 30 days
According to early real-world data, the FDA-approved Evoque TTVR device is associated with positive outcomes when used to treat severe tricuspid regurgitation.
A closer look at world’s first TAVR patient treated with new cerebral embolic protection device
The device covers three vessels at once and can be deployed through the patient's TAVR access site. Researchers shared their first-in-human experience in JACC: Case Reports.

Balloon expansion deployment of an Edwards Lifesciences Sapien 3 transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) device.

New Jersey hospital performs 4,000th TAVR procedure

Morristown Medical Center first started performing TAVR procedures in 2011 and is now home to one of the largest TAVR programs in the United States.

Greater access to TAVR linked to better patient outcomes

How does access to care influence short-term TAVR outcomes? Researchers explored data from nearly 22,000 patients to find out.

Comprehensive heart teams are rewriting the rules of patient care

Multidisciplinary heart teams are growing more and more popular among hospitals and health systems all over the world. What started as a way to select TAVR patients has become something much more important.

A transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure being performed at Intermountain Healthcare. Image from Intermountain Healthcare

TAVR and PAD: What cardiologists need to know

TAVR patients presenting with peripheral artery disease face significantly higher in-hospital risks, according to a new study published in Current Problems in Cardiology.

Samir Kapadia, MD, chairman of the Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic, explains why he believes the results of the late-breaking PROTECTED TAVR testing the use of a TAVR cerebral protection device were positive, although it did not meet its primary endpoint.

VIDEO: Exploring the use of cerebral protection devices during TAVR

Samir Kapadia, MD, chair of the department of cardiovascular medicine at Cleveland Clinic, shared his perspective on the use of cerebral protection devices during TAVR procedures.

Why are post-TAVR stroke rates higher at comprehensive stroke centers?

One of the more likely reasons is simple: specialty centers have better tools for identifying signs of stroke.

A team in China treated 10 patients—split evenly between men and women—with the SinoCrown TAVR valve developed by Lepu Medical Technology Company. The average patient age was 77.5 years old.

New self-expanding TAVR valve shows promise

It is still early for this new-look TAVR valve, but initial findings out of China include a procedural success rate of 100% and no deaths, disabling strokes or myocardial infarctions after 30 days. Read a full analysis from the team using the device.

An updated look at surgically repairing the mitral valve due to mitral regurgitation

A team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons collaborated on the new analysis, reviewing data from more than 50,000 patients and developing a new risk model for clinicians.

Structural Heart Disease

At a crossroads: Surgical heart valve innovation slows as transcatheter treatments keep evolving

Polymer heart valve, the first of its kind to gain commercial approval, linked to positive 1-year data

Effective, but not worth the cost: CEPD use during TAVR fails to make a significant difference

TTVR with Evoque system linked to positive real-world outcomes after 30 days

A closer look at world’s first TAVR patient treated with new cerebral embolic protection device