Earlier this week, the 48th annual Society of Thoracic Surgeons Meeting (STS) was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. During the meeting, cardiac surgeons from around the world gather to discuss the latest strategies for optimal cardiac treatment — including heart valve repair and heart valve replacement procedures.

As our patient and caregiver community is fascinated by medical advances impacting heart valve surgery, I thought you might be interested to learn about a new study released at STS specific to the SAPIEN transcatheter aortic valve replacement device. The SAPIEN, which is manufactured by Edwards Lifesciences, is positioned in the heart using a minimally invasive catheter.

Here are the most recent findings about the SAPIEN’s clinical performance in 822 “inoperable patients” who suffered from severe aortic stenosis and received this aortic valve replacement device transapically — through the ribs:

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In case you missed it… Some very interesting reports came out about the SAPIEN, a non-invasive aortic valve replacement for patients with aortic stenosis that just received FDA approval for inoperable patients, at the recent Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference in San Francisco.

• As reported in Medical News, two-year follow-up findings of the PARTNER trial indicate that transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) may be a better option than standard treatment. For more, click here.
• As reported at TheHeart.org, a study comparing the transapical approach for transcatheter aortic-valve implantation (TAVI) against conventional aortic-valve replacement surgery was stopped early due to an increase in adverse events, including an increased risk of major stroke and severe paravalvular leakage, in elderly patients eligible for surgery. For more, click here.

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As we learned last Thursday, the FDA just approved the new SAPIEN transcatheter aortic valve replacement for inoperable patients. This exciting announcement has left many patients and caregivers wondering why the SAPIEN is only for inoperable patients in the United States.

At the recent Heart Valve Summit, I was able to discuss this important topic with Dr. Lars Svensson, one of the leading heart valve surgeons at The Cleveland Clinic. Here are the highlights of Dr. Svensson’s response to Cory’s question, “Why are the new transcatheter therapies only for inoperable patients?”

For the patients and caregivers of our community who are hearing impaired, I have provided a written transcript of this video interview below.

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Big, big, big, biggggggg news everybody!

I just learned that the Edwards SAPIEN Aortic Valve has received FDA approval for “inoperable” patients. On the heels of this exciting announcement, there are several implications for patients and caregivers that should be considered.

Edwards SAPIEN Heart Valve Replacement

First… This is the first time that a transcatheter therapy has been approved by the FDA for aortic valve treatment. Using SAPIEN, physicians deploy a catheter-based delivery system to replace a diseased aortic valve without any incision to the patient’s sternum or ribs.

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I’m a history buff. That said, I was beyond excited to meet Professor Alain Carpentier at the Mitral Conclave. If you did not know, Professor Carpentier is widely regarded as the “Father” of modern heart valve surgery.

Adam, Professor Alain Carpentier, Dr. David Adams & Dr. Friedrich Mohr

After the introduction, I was fortunate to witness the filming of a very, very, very special interview with Professor Carpentier. Thanks to Dr. David Adams and Dr. Randy Martin, I am able to share portions of that interview below.

I encourage all patients and caregivers to watch this video and learn about this incredible man. As you will hear, Professor Carpentier’s curiosity triggered many of the innovations that transformed valvular treatment.

For those members of our community who are hearing impaired, I have provided a written transcript of Professor Alain Carpentier’s video interview below.

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