Outcomes of Balloon-Expandable Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Younger Patients in the Low-Risk Era.

Importance: Guidelines advise heart team assessment for all patients with aortic stenosis, with surgical aortic valve replacement recommended for patients younger than 65 years or with a life expectancy greater than 20 years. If bioprosthetic valves are selected, repeat procedures may be needed given limited durability of tissue valves; however, younger patients with aortic stenosis may have major comorbidities that can limit life expectancy, impacting decision-making.

Objective: To characterize patients younger than 65 years who received transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and compare their outcomes with patients aged 65 to 80 years.

An interactive, online decision aid assessing patient goals and preferences for treatment of aortic stenosis to support physician-led shared decision-making: Early feasibility pilot study.

Background: Guidelines recommend shared decision making when choosing treatment for severe aortic stenosis but implementation has lagged. We assessed the feasibility and impact of a novel decision aid for severe aortic stenosis at point-of-care.

Methods: This prospective multi-site pilot cohort study included adults with severe aortic stenosis and their clinicians.

What matters most to patients with severe aortic stenosis when choosing treatment? Framing the conversation for shared decision making.

Background: Guidelines recommend including the patient's values and preferences when choosing treatment for severe aortic stenosis (sAS). However, little is known about what matters most to patients as they develop treatment preferences. Our objective was to identify, prioritize, and organize patient-reported goals and features of treatment for sAS.

Identifying opportunities to advance health equity in interventional cardiology: Structural heart disease.

Health care practices are influenced by variety of factors. These factors that include social determinants, race and ethnicity, and gender not only affect access to health care but can also affect quality of care and patient outcomes. These are a source of health care disparities.

Aortic Valve Stenosis Treatment Disparities in the Underserved: JACC Council Perspectives.

Underserved minorities make up a disproportionately small subset of patients in the United States undergoing transcatheter and surgical aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis. The reasons for these treatment gaps include differences in disease prevalence and patient, health care system, and disease-related factors. This has major implications not only for minority patients, but also for other groups who face similar challenges in accessing state-of-the-art care for structural heart disease.

Comparison of Frequency of Referral to Cardiothoracic Surgery for Aortic Valve Disease in Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites.

Racial differences in prevalence and in intervention rate of those with severe aortic stenosis have been reported. Our objective was to evaluate health disparities in referral to cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) for aortic stenosis in black and Hispanic compared with white patients before the transcatheter aortic valve replacement program was started in our community. Using a retrospective cohort design, we identified all patients >40 years, who had been captured with aortic valve disease from January 2011 to June 2016.

Cost-effectiveness of coronary artery calcium testing for coronary heart and cardiovascular disease risk prediction to guide statin allocation: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Background: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) showed that the addition of coronary artery calcium (CAC) to traditional risk factors improves risk classification, particularly in intermediate risk asymptomatic patients with LDL cholesterol levels <160 mg/dL. However, the cost-effectiveness of incorporating CAC into treatment decision rules has yet to be clearly delineated.

Objective: To model the cost-effectiveness of CAC for cardiovascular risk stratification in asymptomatic, intermediate risk patients not taking a statin.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement: historical perspectives, current evidence, and future directions.

Severe aortic stenosis (AS) results in considerable morbidity and mortality without aortic valve replacement and is expected to increase in prevalence with the aging population. Because AS primarily affects the elderly, many patients with comorbidities are poor candidates for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and may not be referred. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has emerged as transformative technology for the management of AS over the past decade.

Thrombectomy Devices in Coronary Intervention.

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention is the favored mode of reperfusion therapy for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) when able to be performed in a timely fashion in appropriately selected patients. However, controversy about the role of coronary thrombectomy in the management of STEMI persists because of a paucity of favorable historical data. After the TAPAS trial thrombectomy has gained favor in recent years.

A novel case of transient right ventricular failure in a patient with respiratory distress.

Right ventricular (RV) failure is characterized by an inability to pump blood into the pulmonary circulation and can often lead to hemodynamic instability. Common causes of RV failure include left ventricular (LV) failure, RV infarction, sepsis, cor pulmonale due to acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary emboli, or pulmonary hypertension. We report the case of a 61-year-old woman with no significant pulmonary or cardiac disease who presented with hypoxic respiratory failure in the setting of opioid overdose.

Waiting for the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel IV Guidelines, and in the meantime, some challenges and recommendations.

The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) has provided education and guidance for decades on the management of hypercholesterolemia. Its third report (ATP III) was published 10 years ago, with a white paper update in 2004. There is a need for translation of more recent evidence into a revised guideline.

Evidence-based use of statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Three-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, commonly known as statins, are widely available, inexpensive, and represent a potent therapy for treating elevated cholesterol. Current national guidelines put forth by the Adult Treatment Panel III recommend statins as part of a comprehensive primary prevention strategy for patients with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol at increased risk for developing coronary heart disease within 10 years. Lack of a clear-cut mortality benefit in primary prevention has caused some to question the use of statins for patients without known coronary heart disease.