ACC House Call: Align TAVR with Gilbert Tang, MD
The author of the first systematic evaluation of commissural alignment in TAVR shares his team's findings.
New data presented virtually during the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2020 Scientific Sessions this week showed differing improved alignment of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices based on initial orientations.
The Alignment of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Neo-commissures (Align TAVR) Study, presented by author Gilbert H. Tang, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Surgical Director of the Structural Heart Program for the Mount Sinai Health System, provided the first systemic evaluation of commissural alignment in TAVR practices.
Because coronary artery access and redo TAVR practices may be influenced by transcatheter heart valve orientation, Tang and colleagues sought to assess the impact of deployment orientation on commissural alignment in 3 heart valves: SAPIEN 3, Evolut, and ACURATE-neo transcatheter.
Investigators found differing impacts on alignment based on the differing heart valves, and indications which showed optimized alignment overall could critically reduce coronary artery overlap and the frequency of redo TAVR.
In special edition House Call interview with HCPLive® on the findings, Tang discussed the findings, the impact of the study, the growth of TAVR research over the years, and what’s next in clinical assessment.
The study, “The Alignment of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Neo-commissures (Align TAVR) Study,” was published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
