The FDA recently expanded the indications for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to include patients at low surgical risk. But experts are urging caution about which low-risk patients should undergo TAVR until more information is gathered. At the STS Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Joseph E. Bavaria, MD, explored recent clinical trials with Tsuyoshi Kaneko, MD, Michael J. Reardon, MD, and Vinod Thourani, MD.

In this episode, Joseph E. Bavaria, MD, explored recent clinical trials with Tsuyoshi Kaneko, MD, Michael J. Reardon, MD, and Vinod Thourani, MD.
21 min.
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In the News: A Surgeon's View
Dr. Thomas E. MacGillivray explains how the ISCHEMIA trial does not negate or even contradict the multiple previous clinical trials demonstrating the superiority of surgical revascularization over medical therapy (or PCI) in patients with specific anatomic patterns of coronary artery disease.
5 min read
Thomas E. MacGillivray, MD
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In the News: A Surgeon's View
The article "Surgical Volume Matters When It Comes to Repair of Primary MR" highlights a presentation from Dr. Vinay Badhwar at TCT 2019 that showed the volume of mitral valve repair or replacement at both the hospital and surgeon levels was inversely related to the success of the mitral valve repair rate. Dr. James R. Edgerton describes the article, what it means for the cardiothoracic surgery specialty, and his view on the topic of a volume-outcome relationship in mitral valve surgery.
5 min read
James R. Edgerton, MD

Endocarditis is one of the most challenging infections to treat for cardiothoracic surgeons, and the opioid epidemic has led to a staggering increase in the number of infective endocarditis cases seen in the United States. Dr. Robbin G. Cohen talks with some of the world’s leading experts in treating valve disease and endocarditis—Drs. Joseph E. Bavaria, Eric E.

Robbin G. Cohen talks with some of the world’s leading experts in treating valve disease and endocarditis—Drs. Joseph E. Bavaria, Eric E. Roselli, and Scott Goldman—about when surgeons should get involved in the treatment process, when and how long to treat with antibiotics, the best candidates for surgery, and the ethics surrounding treating IV drug abusers.
18 min.

The Society is offering a new opportunity for self-assessment and quality improvement in cardiothoracic surgery—surgeon-specific outcomes reports from the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD). For those who affirmatively opt in, these feedback reports will be available beginning in fall 2019 and will include data on coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), aortic valve replacement (AVR), CABG+AVR, mitral valve repair and replacement (MVRR), and CABG+MVRR. Four STS leaders, Drs. Richard Prager, David M. Shahian, Alan M.

The Society is offering a new opportunity for self-assessment and quality improvement in cardiothoracic surgery—surgeon-specific outcomes reports from the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD).
26 min.

As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reevaluates the scientific evidence supporting volume requirements for hospitals and heart team members who perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures, an esteemed panel of TAVR experts gathered on January 27, 2019, to discuss the value of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)/American College of Cardiology (ACC) Transcatheter Valve Therapy (TVT) Registry for quality improvement initiatives, outcomes research, and device surveillance. Their discussion, “TAVR and the Value of the STS/ACC TVT Registry,” was led by Dr.

Drs. Joe Bavaria, Tom Gleason, Richard Shemin, Vinod Thourani, and Michael Deeb discuss the value of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry for quality improvement initiatives, outcomes research, and device surveillance.
22 min.

The volumes of two aortic valve replacements (AVR) procedures have changed dramatically over the past few years, with more transcatheter procedures now being performed than open surgical procedures. Four cardiac surgeons discuss the evolving trends in TAVR, why the changes are occurring, and what’s ahead for TAVR and SAVR. Wilson Y. Szeto, MD (University of Pennsylvania) moderates the discussion that also features Michael J. Mack, MD (The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano), John V. Conte, MD (Penn State University), and Thomas E. MacGillivray, (Houston Methodist).

The latest advances in mitral valve repair and replacement include a shift toward the transseptal platform. Four leading experts discuss how catheter-based techniques will re-emulate the gold standard for mitral valve surgery, the important role of 3D Echo technology, the need for transseptal puncture skills, and navigating the local politics.