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.

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Medtronic Evolut FX TAVR valve

‘A huge victory for patient care’: Next-gen TAVR valve helps cardiologists target more patients

Sponsored by Medtronic

“The Evolut FX system is an improvement over previous Evolut system devices and it delivers better overall results to our patients,” says interventional cardiologist Guilherme Attizzani, MD. “It is an ideal solution for a majority of our patients.”

December 12, 2023
According to the U.S. government, Asante Health System and one of its surgeons knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE for more than six years. Heart surgery surgeons.

Early survival data favor valve-in-valve TAVR over redo SAVR—long-term data flip the script

Valve-in-valve TAVR outperforms redo SAVR for the first six months after treatment, according to a new meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Cardiology. Then, however, things begin to shift.

December 12, 2023
A newly developed 3D printing ink (appearing in red) in a model of a heart can be injected where a structure will be printed and ultrasound will harden the ink into the form. This could be used for future left atrial appendage occlusions. Image courtesy of Zhang et al.

New 3D-printing technique shows early potential to help heart patients

“We can reach tissues, bones and organs with high spatial precision that haven’t been reachable with light-based printing methods," one researcher explained. 

December 8, 2023
SavvyWire OpSens TAVR guidewire owned by Haemonetics. the SavvyWire guidewire, a sensor-guided device developed by OpSens Medical, a Canadian medical device company. According to OpSens, the SavvyWire is the first interventional device of its kind. It provides assistance with aortic valve delivery and positioning, like any guidewire, but it also includes sensors that enable continuous hemodynamic measurements and rapid LV pacing.

New 3-in-1 TAVR guidewire capable of hemodynamic measurements, LV pacing impresses cardiologists

The company behind the new technology was recently acquired for approximately $253 million. 

December 5, 2023
older patient with a doctor at their house

Learning more about AFib: 19 important topics for cardiologists, other heart specialists to investigate

New AFib recommendations from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association covered significant ground—but there is still much more to learn, experts explained. 

December 4, 2023
2024 has been a banner year for structural heart treatments, especially those focused on the tricuspid valve. In February, for example, Edwards Lifesciences made history when its Evoque transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) system became the first device of its kind to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for treating tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Two months later, Abbott’s TriClip transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) system also gained FDA approval for the treatment of TR.

New AFib guidelines include higher recommendations for catheter ablation, LAAO

Cardiologists, electrophysiologists, surgeons and patient representatives all worked together on the updated guidelines, which were published in both the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Circulation.

December 1, 2023
business news announcement

Johnson & Johnson acquires medical device company behind new LAA technology for $400M

The deal could also include additional clinical and regulatory milestone payments in the years ahead.

November 30, 2023
Cardiawave Valvosoft non-invasive ultrasound therapy

Cardiawave’s non-invasive ultrasound therapy impresses cardiologists early on—could it be an alternative to SAVR, TAVR?

While TAVR and SAVR are reliable treatments for calcific aortic stenosis, some patients are not considered for those procedures due to severe comorbidities or a limited life expectancy. This is where the investigational Valvosoft device from Cardiawave enters the equation.

November 28, 2023
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