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.

The Corvia Atrial Shunt is designed to address elevated left atrial pressure (LAP) heart failure patients.

VIDEO: Overview of intra-atrial shunts to treat heart failure

Cardiologist Peter Fail, MD, discusses the idea of using shunts to form a passage that enables the left atrium to decompress at rest and during physical activity. The goal is to lower left atrial pressure in heart failure patients.

Radiation exposure during structural heart procedures much higher for echocardiographers than cardiologists

The new analysis focused on transcatheter edge-to-edge repair and left atrial appendage occlusion procedures.

VIDEO: The state of TAVR in 2022

Michael Mack, MD, a key pioneer in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), explains the history of TAVR and where things are headed.

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

AFib patients more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure or bleeding following TAVR

The study, published in the American Journal of Cardiology, included data from more than 900 TAVR patients. Overall morality was 22.7% among patients with AFib and 14.4% among patients without AFib.

Tracking TAVR’s impact on gastrointestinal bleeding symptoms

TAVR patients with gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) were linked to longer lengths of stay and a higher risk of acute kidney injury than patients without GIB.

Two examples of new left atrial appendage occluders (LAAO), the Conformal omn left and the Laminar on the right. evi Nair, MD, FACC, FHRS, director of cardiac electrophysiology at St. Bernard's Healthcare, Jonesboro, Arkansas, explains some of the recent advances in transcatheter left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion technology at the 2022 Transcatheter Valve Therapeutics (TVT) Structural Heart Summit. #TVT #TVT2020 #LAA #LAAO #EPeeps

VIDEO: Advances in left atrial appendage occlusion technology

Devi Nair, MD, director of cardiac electrophysiology at St. Bernard's Healthcare, Jonesboro, Arkansas, explains some of the recent advances in transcatheter left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion technology at the 2022 Transcatheter Valve Therapeutics (TVT) Structural Heart Summit.

The Boston Scientific Acurate neo2,. Abbott Portico and the new Edwards Sapien X4 TAVR valves were hot topics of discussion at TCT 2022. #TVT #TVT22 #TVT2022

VIDEO: TAVR's long-term impact on patient care

One thing was clear at TVT 2022 in Chicago: TAVR's popularity over surgery is changing the way physicians think about patient care.

Links to all the late-breaking structural heart studies at TVT 2022

Here are links to more information for all the late-breaking presentations at the 2022 Transcatheter Valve Therapies (TVT) Structural Heart Summit.

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