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.

Robotic mitral valve repair linked to benefits for elderly patients
Robotic and traditional mitral valve repair surgeries are mostly associated with similar outcomes when treating elderly patients. In some ways, however, robotic procedures may be preferred.
Vendor payments not responsible for rising popularity of LAAO procedures
Consulting fees and other vendor payments do not appear to be directly influencing U.S. physicians to implant more Watchman devices. Researcher Alexander Kolomaya, MD, discussed his team's findings on this topic.
Self-expanding TAVR valves deliver outcomes and durability comparable to surgery after 5 years
Michael Reardon, MD, detailed five-year data out of ACC.25 that found Medtronic's Evolut TAVR platform performs as well as SAVR—and even better in some ways.
Underweight TAVR patients face higher mortality risk—obesity makes no significant impact
Reviewing data from more than 6,000 patients, researchers found little evidence of the "obesity paradox" observed elsewhere. Underweight TAVR patients, however, may face some significant long-term risks.
SCAI pushes for better radiation protection in cath labs
Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions President James Hermiller, Jr., MD, explains SCAI's push for wider adoption of new, innovative cath lab radiation protection technology to reduce radiation exposure and the need for lead aprons.

ESC Congress 2022 European Society of Cardiology

6 key sessions from ESC Congress 2022: TAVR mortality, AI vs. sonographers, radial vs. femoral access and more

ESC Congress 2022, the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, was jam-packed with eye-opening new research from many of the leading voices in cardiovascular and vascular medicine. These six sessions were just some of the weekend's many highlights.

The Abbott Cephea transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) system.

Cardiologist praises updated design of new TMVR system after historic interventional procedure

A care team with the Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute has shared details about its recent successes in TMVR and TAVR. Cardiologist Michael Rinaldi, MD, highlighted the importance of having "a coordinated team of specialists with expertise in treating valve diseases."

What to expect at the TCT MedTech Innovation Forum during TCT 2022

The all-day summit, a collaboration between CRF and Fogarty Innovation, will focus on advances in healthcare technologies and patient care.

Three systems for left ventricular pacing during TAVR, modified TAVR valve delivery wire, the Opsens Savvy wire, and the Teleflex Wattson wire.

VIDEO: Use of temporary left ventricular pacing during TAVR procedures

Philippe Genereux, MD, medical director of the structural heart disease program at Morristown Medical Center, discusses the various options used for temporary pacing of the heart during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures.

TAVR programs follow inconsistent DNR policies, potentially skewing data

Not all hospitals respect the written preferences of patients, possibly motivated by a desire to report better TAVR outcomes.

Moderate aortic stenosis linked to a significant risk of death—should earlier interventions be considered?

Researchers tracked data from more than 12,000 moderate AS patients who originally participated in one of 25 different studies. While the findings seem to suggest earlier treatment could be beneficial for certain high-risk patients, additional research is still required.

cardiologist patient heart compensation starting salary 2022 interventional cardiologist

Atrial cardiomyopathy tied to a higher risk of dementia, even when patients show no signs of AFib or stroke

Researchers examined decades of data from more than 5,000 patients, sharing their findings in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

SAPT after TAVR preferred over DAPT, new meta-analysis confirms

An international team of researchers, led by specialists from Cleveland Clinic, found that DAPT was consistently linked to a greater risk of major or life-threatening bleeding events.

Structural Heart Disease

Robotic mitral valve repair linked to benefits for elderly patients

Vendor payments not responsible for rising popularity of LAAO procedures

Self-expanding TAVR valves deliver outcomes and durability comparable to surgery after 5 years

Underweight TAVR patients face higher mortality risk—obesity makes no significant impact

SCAI pushes for better radiation protection in cath labs