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.

CMS proposes Medicare coverage for transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement
Edwards Lifesciences sent a formal request to CMS in February after its Evoque TTVR device gained FDA approval. The agency is now accepting public comments for 30 days.
Hydra TAVR valve gains key approval as global reach continues to grow
The self-expanding device is now available in more than 20 countries and received CE mark approval back in 2020. However, it has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States.
SAVR outperforms TAVR in patients with bicuspid aortic valves
BAV patients are often excluded from TAVR trials, creating uncertainty about the best way to treat that population when aortic valve replacement is required. To learn more, researchers tracked CMS data from 2018 to 2022, presenting their findings in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
Treating AFib patients with TAVR still linked to elevated risks
While the technology and techniques associated with TAVR have advanced over the years, treating patients who present with baseline atrial fibrillation is still associated with certain risks.
Heart surgeons detail world’s first robotic heart procedure of its kind
The care team behind the very first robotic aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass surgery has written about the experience in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. The group discussed the development of the technique, how the patient was chosen for treatment and other key details.

Long-term survival poor in patients with moderate, severe AS

Both severe and moderate aortic stenosis, when left untreated, were associated with poor long-term survival in a large-scale study of Australian heart patients.

November 8, 2019

SAPIEN 3 valve cleared for use in low-risk patients in Europe

Edwards Lifesciences announced Nov. 6 that it had received expanded CE mark approval in Europe for the use of its SAPIEN 3 transcatheter heart valve, a tool designed to facilitate TAVI in patients who don’t want to undergo open-heart surgery.

November 6, 2019

Cardiology’s Challenge for the 2020s: Turning the Trend on Rising Mortality

The latest numbers on cardiovascular deaths put the focus on innovative ways to point the trend line down again.

November 1, 2019

PCHA, children’s hospitals unite to promote transparency in CV surgical outcomes

Children’s hospitals across the U.S. are backing a national effort by the Pediatric Congenital Heart Association to improve transparency in the reporting of cardiac surgical outcomes.

October 16, 2019

Public reporting of AVR outcomes linked to decreased access

An increase in public reporting of aortic valve surgery outcomes has been tied to a decrease in AVR access for patients with infective endocarditis—the unintended consequence of a push for greater transparency in healthcare.

October 14, 2019

TAVR linked to better long-term health status than SAVR

Patients with severe aortic stenosis who undergo TAVR enjoy a minor but significant sustained health benefit that isn’t mirrored in patients who opt for surgical AVR, according to research reported at TCT 2019 in San Francisco.

October 3, 2019

TMVR with MitraClip increases life expectancy—at a cost

An economic analysis of COAPT data suggests edge-to-edge TMVR with the MitraClip device is a more affordable long-term treatment option than guideline-directed medical therapy alone for patients with severe secondary MR—but the steep cost of an index TMVR procedure might eclipse that benefit.

October 1, 2019

3-year COAPT results bolster MitraClip’s success

Results from the COAPT study continue to roll in, and it was all positive news for the MitraClip team at the TCT conference in San Francisco this month.

September 30, 2019

Structural Heart Disease

CMS proposes Medicare coverage for transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement

Hydra TAVR valve gains key approval as global reach continues to grow

SAVR outperforms TAVR in patients with bicuspid aortic valves

Treating AFib patients with TAVR still linked to elevated risks

Heart surgeons detail world’s first robotic heart procedure of its kind