Nearly 93% of the U.S. population lives in a hospital referral region with at least one medical center that performs 25 or more mitral valve repairs or replacements each year, according to work published in JAMA Cardiology—but MVRR centers continue to suffer from significant geographical and patient-level disparities.

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

Urine flow rate-guided hydration, as opposed to left ventricular end-diastolic pressure-guided hydration, could prevent more complications in CKD patients who are at a high risk for contrast-induced kidney injury.

Results from the late-breaking TWILIGHT trial suggest that, among high-risk patients who have undergone PCI and completed three months of dual antiplatelet therapy, it’s safer to continue treatment with ticagrelor alone rather than add aspirin to that cocktail.

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.

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.

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.

A shortened, three-month course of dual antiplatelet therapy might be a safer bet than 12-month treatment for patients at a high risk of bleeding after PCI and implantation of a drug-eluting stent.