Valvular Heart Disease

Patients with systemic sclerosis demonstrate a four-fold increased prevalence of moderate-to-severe valvular heart disease at diagnosis compared with those without systemic sclerosis, according to data published in The Journal of Rheumatology.

Amid positive results from large clinical trials confirming the benefits of transcatheter aortic valve replacement, along with expanded indications from the FDA, recently updated recommendations represent the already widespread acceptance of less invasive interventions for aortic stenosis.

Embrace of less-invasive interventions, shared decision-making and earlier management of regurgitation are among the hallmarks of a new multisociety guideline on management of valvular heart disease.

CV risk should be comprehensively assessed before noncardiac surgery, including a thorough history and physical examination, researchers found in a review.

Sunday marked the start of national Heart Failure Awareness Week, a campaign with the aim of promoting not only heart health, but awareness of the sometimes-subtle signs and symptoms of HF.

The use of palliative care was low for patients hospitalized for acute MI, but the rate of use increased between 2002 and 2016, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Having a multidisciplinary team is key to managing patients being considered for transcatheter mitral valve interventions, according to a multisociety expert consensus systems of care document.