I am pleased to present this issue on Interventions for Structural Heart Disease. Guest editor Sachin S. Goel, MD, has guided us through the changing landscape of structural heart interventions to share the remarkable transformation in care that was unimaginable 20 years ago.
Among the most significant developments is the rapid increase in transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR), which now exceed the number of surgical aortic valve replacements in the United States. As TAVR continually increases in safety and improved outcomes, additional procedures are following that lead. For example, mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair technology is constantly evolving, and when it’s not viable for patients, transcatheter mitral valve replacement is emerging as a novel option.
On the frontier of future options, ongoing trials are evaluating edge-to-edge repair for transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement. In the past 10 years, impressive innovations have occurred in transcatheter left atrial appendage closure technology to prevent stroke from atrial fibrillation. And a new generation of transcatheter interventions are becoming available for patients with adult congenital heart disease. All of these advances are made possible or enhanced by multimodality cardiac imaging.
We greatly appreciate the authors who have contributed their extensive expertise and insights for this issue and thank them for their effort to create a comprehensive snapshot of the current state of structural heart interventions.
Several articles in this issue include videos to supplement the content and further enhance its educational value. We encourage you to explore the many videos related to structural heart interventions at the DeBakey Cardiovascular Education YouTube channel.
We also invite you to visit our year-round repository of case reports, interactive CME cases, and other articles with CME credit available in our Special Collections section online. And I encourage you to submit interesting case reports and share your insights on social media, as well, by tagging us with #DeBakeyCVjournal at @debakeyCVedu.
As always, I appreciate your ongoing interest and welcome your feedback.
Miguel A. Quiñones, MD, MACC, FASE
Editor-in-Chief
Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal
Winters Family Distinguished Centennial Chair
in Cardiovascular Education, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center