Interest in structural and valvular interventions continues to grow as evidenced by the success of the recent PCR London Valves meeting. With new and innovative devices, increased experience, widening indications and an ageing population, there is much to keep informed about, and this issue takes an in-depth look at a few of these fast-evolving topics.
Is coronary computed tomography angiography the new standard of reference in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease?
That’s the question addressed by Marc Dewey and Federico Biavati in this issue’s debate, as they offer arguments in support of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for coronary artery disease diagnosis. Roberta Rossini and Alfredo Marchese counter this by saying that they believe CCTA has not lived up to its expectations and that invasive coronary angiography still has a role to play. Where do you stand?
Lifetime management of TAVI: an expert review
With transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) being offered to younger populations and the probability that some will outlive their first transcatheter heart valve (THV), Karan Rao, Ravinay Bhindi and colleagues offer us an expert review on the lifetime management of TAVI to help the Heart Team “future proof” their patients. The authors focus on using preprocedural computed tomography to best plan for the future, with considerations such as maximising THV haemodynamic function and durability, among others.
Next-day discharge following TAVI
In this original research paper, Rodrigo Bagur, Guilherme F. Attizzani and colleagues evaluated the safety of next-day discharge in pacemaker-naïve patients undergoing TAVI with three different types of valves. Using a primary endpoint of unplanned readmissions at 30 days, the results support the development of next-day discharge pathways that may help lower healthcare costs and improve individual experiences.
Long-term outcomes with mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair
What do we know concerning the benefits over time of mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair? In a single-centre retrospective study, Marta Bargagna, Francesco Maisano and colleagues examine the 10-year outcomes of 150 patients treated with a first-generation MitraClip for primary and secondary mitral regurgitation to see exactly what those long-term outcomes might be. What did they conclude? What are the challenges and successes they noted? Find out here.
