07 Sep Adherence To Guidelines Reduces Mortality & Admissions For Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Goessl
Mario Goessl, MD, PhD, FACC, FAHA, FESC, FSCAI
Director, Research and Education, Center for Valve and Structural Heart Disease
Director, LAAC/Watchman™ Program
Program Director, Fellowship in Advanced Adult Structural and Congenital Heart Disease Interventions and Interventional Cardiology Fellowship
Minneapolis Heart Institute | Abbott Northwestern Hospital, part of Allina Health
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: We wanted to investigate if asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis benefit clinically from adherence to current national guidelines that suggest close follow up within 6-12 months.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Response: Our data show that patients who adhere to these guidelines benefit greatly: mortality and hospital admissions for heart failure are reduced significantly.
At the same time, adherent patients received aortic valve replacement more frequently and timely.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: Ongoing research investigating early aortic valve replacement in asymptomatic patients might change the recommendation for timing of this therapy. Without this evidence, however, current guidelines recommend close clinical monitoring.
With regards to guideline penetration into clinical practice we need to do more work in order to find out what the barriers are that lead to the current gap between evidence-based guideline recommendations and actual clinical practice.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Response: Patients with significant aortic stenosis require proper and timely diagnosis and referral to a valve center of excellence. Still, too many patients with significant aortic stenosis are not referred at all or too late. We hope that our paper fosters adherence to current valve guidelines and encourages primary and specialty providers to further close the current practice gap.
We have started a twitter #myheartvalves. Patients with questions regarding their valvular heart disease are welcome to submit them here, we are happy to help.
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Last Updated on September 7, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD