Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

Biologists explain mechanisms behind CHD4-related heart defects

Mutations in the CHD4 gene are known contributors to congenital heart defects. Biologists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine believe they are beginning to understand why.

Invasive procedures—including cardiovascular—boost risk of endocarditis

Jun 12, 2018 | Coronary Intervention & Surgery

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgeries, in particular, were strongly linked to the life-threatening condition—carrying a 14-fold increase in relative risk, among the top five of all inpatient procedures analyzed.

AKI following LAAC ‘relatively frequent,’ tied to worse midterm outcomes

Jun 05, 2018 | Coronary Intervention & Surgery

Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs in about 9 percent of patients undergoing left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) and is associated with greater odds of downstream mortality and embolic events, according to a study published June 4 in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Post-TAVR pacemakers linked to higher mortality but similar healthcare costs

May 30, 2018 | Electrophysiology & Arrhythmia

Patients who required permanent pacemakers (PPMs) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) demonstrated lower survival rates and higher comorbidity burdens over a multiyear follow-up. However, they didn’t accumulate significantly greater healthcare costs, according to a study published online May 25 in JAMA Network Open.

TMVR device nearly wipes out mitral regurgitation

May 24, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

An investigational transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) device helped reduce mitral regurgitation to zero or trace levels in 98.7 percent of patients, according to 30-day follow-up data from the first 100 people scheduled to be treated with Abbott’s Tendyne system.

TAVR doesn’t raise procedural stroke risk for patients with previous strokes

May 22, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

Despite being performed in an older population with more cardiovascular comorbidities, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) demonstrated similarly low rates of postoperative stroke and mortality compared with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in a study of patients with previous strokes.

15-year mortality 10 times higher among congenital heart surgery survivors

May 21, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

Although survival after congenital heart surgery is improving, patients who receive procedures for even mild defects have long-term mortality rates at least three times higher than their counterparts in the general population, according to a U.S.-based registry study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Acetaminophen may protect against acute kidney injury after pediatric heart surgery

May 17, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

Acetaminophen after pediatric heart surgery was associated with an increasingly protective effect against acute kidney injury (AKI), according to an analysis of separate cohorts at two children’s hospitals.

Transcatheter mitral chordal replacement system successful in 1st human patient

May 16, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

The first patient to be treated with a novel mitral valve repair system is recovering and showed no complications during a 30-day follow-up period, according to a press release issued by the system's developer.

Endocarditis from drug use produces ‘substantial’ economic burden

May 01, 2018 | Healthcare Economics & Policy

A new study analyzed the “substantial” cost burden to state and federal healthcare programs from patients hospitalized with endocarditis because of drug abuse. Findings were presented April 26 at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 2018 Scientific Sessions in San Diego.

Edwards gains CE mark for first transcatheter tricuspid treatment

May 01, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

Edwards Lifesciences has received CE mark approval for its Cardioband Tricuspid Valve Reconstruction System, making it the first commercially available transcatheter therapy to treat tricuspid valve heart disease.

Apr 30, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

With the opioid epidemic in full swing and many intravenous drug users likely to relapse and require even more challenging and expensive treatment, physicians are left to grapple with what to do about repeat cases of infective endocarditis.

Delayed discharge after TAVR linked to higher mortality

Apr 30, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

A late-breaking study presented at SCAI 2018 demonstrated that patients who stay in the hospital for more than 72 hours after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are more likely to die in the following year than those with earlier discharges.

Real-world MitraClip data show positive 1-year outcomes

Apr 27, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

A post-approval study of Abbott’s MitraClip device showed positive one-year results for the first 2,000 patients entered into the national Transcatheter Valve Therapy registry, according to late-breaking science presented April 26 at SCAI 2018 in San Diego.

3D printing could help prevent paravalvular leak in TAVR patients

Apr 27, 2018 | Imaging

A small study presented at SCAI 2018 demonstrated the potential of 3D printing to help clinicians select the appropriate size for transcatheter heart valves and avoid paravalvular leak (PVL).

Researchers develop first tool to predict readmission rates after TAVR

Apr 26, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

The first-ever risk score for predicting 30-day readmission rates in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) can be easily folded into electronic medical records and inform perioperative care decisions, researchers reported at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions 2018 Scientific Sessions.

TMVR linked to high early mortality, persistent improvement among survivors

Apr 25, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

Transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) is associated with high rates of mortality in patients with severe mitral annular calcification, but survivors show significant improvements in heart-related symptoms.

Researchers propose tweak to pulse oximetry testing for CHD

Apr 25, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

Modifying the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) screening algorithm to include one repeat pulse oximetry test instead of two could identify more infants with other serious diseases that require attention, according to a study published online April 24 in Pediatrics.

CHD patients have 8 times the risk of hemorrhagic stroke at young age

Apr 17, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

Children and young adults who were born with congenital heart disease (CHD) have an eight-fold risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) when compared to the general population, according to a Swedish study published online April 6 in Stroke. However, the absolute risk of hemorrhagic stroke remained low for both groups.

Viva la France: TAVR procedures soar, mortality rates dip between 2007-2015 in nationwide survey

Apr 16, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

A country-wide examination of data in France showed a marked increase in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures, in addition to reduction in in-hospital mortality for all AVR subsets.

Severe mitral stenosis tied to worse outcomes post-TAVR

Apr 09, 2018 | Structural & Congenital Heart Disease

About 3 percent of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) also have severe mitral stenosis and are at a greater risk of long-term adverse events, researchers reported in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

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Structural & Congenital Heart Disease