Citations

Background The natural history of asymptomatic moderate or severe aortic regurgitation (AR) remains uncertain, with conflicting reports about its progression and surgical timing. We aimed to quantify adverse outcomes under conservative management and evaluate the association of aortic valve replacement/repair (AVR) with mortality. Methods Systematic searches (inception–July 2025) identified cohort studies of asymptomatic moderate/severe AR. Random-effects models estimated pooled incidence rates of adverse events; fixed-effects models were used for hazard ratios (HRs) of AVR vs conservative management. Results Twenty-seven studies (4720 patients; mean age 49 years; mean follow-up 3.9 years) were included. Pooled incidence rates per 100 person-years were 1.75 (95% CI 1.27 to 2.41) for all-cause mortality, 1.29 for cardiac death, 0.29 for sudden death, 4.30 for new symptoms and 7.01 for AVR. Asymptomatic low left ventricular ejection fraction occurred in only 0.9 per 100 person-years. Mortality rates were more than double those of the general population across age groups—2.45 (1.90 to 3.18) per 100 person-years for cohorts with mean age ≥50 years versus 0.59 (0.29 to 1.21) for younger cohorts. Early AVR was associated with lower mortality (pooled HR 0.33; 95% CI 0.30 to 0.37). Conclusion Asymptomatic moderate/severe AR carries significant excess mortality irrespective of age, contradicting its historically benign reputation. Given the rarity of asymptomatic LV dysfunction, earlier intervention guided by more sensitive markers of LV damage may improve outcomes, although heterogeneity and study quality warrant cautious interpretation. PROSPERO registration number CRD42024522683.

Background Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) can be associated with ventricular arrhythmias (VA), but little is known about the relationship between VA and exercise in these patients. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence and severity of VA during exercise tests in patients with MVP, and to explore the association between VA during exercise and the occurrence of arrhythmic events during follow-up. Methods In this multicentre study, 375 patients with MVP (58 (48–69) years, 53% male) who underwent a clinically indicated exercise test were included. Severity of VA during exercise was defined as: (1) no VA, (2) minor VA (premature ventricular contractions ≥5% or non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (nsVT) <120 beats per minute) and (3) major VA (nsVTs ≥120 beats per minute). Results During exercise test, 242 (65%) patients showed no VA, 88 (24%) minor VA and 45 (12%) major VA. Patients with minor and major VAs showed more often bileaflet prolapse and mitral annular disjunction (MAD) than patients with no VA (p<0.001). Over a median follow-up of 101 months (IQR 58–138 months), 35 patients (9%) developed a severe arrhythmic event, defined as sustained VA or ventricular fibrillation, implantation of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and VA ablation. At the Kaplan-Meier curve analysis, patients with major VA showed the worst arrhythmic event-free survival (log-rank p<0.001). On multivariable analysis, left ventricular end-systolic diameter, MAD and VA severity during exercise were independently associated with this outcome. Conclusions In patients with MVP, the occurrence of VA during exercise is associated with more advanced mitral valve abnormalities, including MAD, and with higher rates of severe arrhythmic events during follow-up. Performing an exercise test, combined with the clinical and echocardiographic assessments, may therefore offer important complementary information useful for patient management.

Abstract Valvular heart disease (VHD) is emerging as the next major epidemic in cardiovascular care, driven by the ageing population. The advent of less invasive alternatives to surgery—namely, transcatheter therapies—has revolutionized patient management, while simultaneously introducing new layers of complexity. Artificial intelligence (AI) holds significant promise to transform the care of patients with VHD across all dimensions, including diagnosis, prognostication, disease progression, and therapeutic decision-making. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current evidence, and discuss the challenges, risks, and future directions associated with the integration of AI in the management of VHD.

ABSTRACT Aims The impact of treatment for tricuspid regurgitation (TR) across different levels of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) remains uncertain. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of surgical and transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions (TTVI) to conservative (medical) management across LVEF categories. Methods and results Patients with severe isolated TR from the TRIGISTRY, a multicentre international registry, were categorized based on LVEF (preserved ejection fraction [pEF]: ≥50%, mildly reduced ejection fraction [mrEF]: 41–49%, and reduced ejection fraction [rEF]: ≤40%). We assessed the impact of treatment modality and procedural success (mild-to-moderate or lower residual TR) on 2-year survival within each LVEF category. Among 2384 patients, 1383 had pEF, 400 had mrEF, and 601 had rEF. Compared to conservative management, surgery (p &lt; 0.0005) and TTVI (p &lt; 0.0001) were associated with a survival benefit in patients with pEF. No significant survival advantage was observed in patients with mrEF (p = 0.28 for both), nor in those with rEF (p = 0.76 and p = 0.22, respectively). Similar results were obtained when surgical and transcatheter interventions were grouped (p &lt; 0.0001, p = 0.17 and p = 0.29 in patients with pEF, mrEF and rEF, respectively). Patients with residual TR after TTVI exhibited a trend toward worse survival compared to those managed conservatively across all LVEF categories (p = 0.47, p = 0.33 and p = 0.008 in pEF, mrEF and rEF, respectively). Conclusions Transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention, whether surgical or transcatheter-based, was associated with improved survival in patients with pEF but not in those with mrEF or rEF. Residual TR remained a significant prognostic factor across the entire LVEF spectrum. These findings highlight the need for careful patient selection when considering TTVI in individuals with rEF.

Background Left ventricular (LV) end‐systolic enlargement in severe degenerative mitral‐regurgitation (MR) is a class I surgical trigger. Whether it occurs disproportionately to less‐than‐severe MR due to mitral valve prolapse and is associated with mortality are unknown. We aimed to analyze prevalence and association with survival of disproportionate LV enlargement in less‐than‐severe MR. Methods A multicenter cohort international study enrolled 2848 consecutive patients (52% women, 69±16 years) with degenerative MR prospectively quantified and graded mild or moderate. Primary end point was survival under medical management. Secondary outcome was survival throughout follow‐up stratified by performance of early mitral surgery within 3 months postdiagnosis. Results Among LV remodeling parameters (abnormal end‐diastolic diameter, LV end‐systolic diameter [LVESD] absolute and indexed), LVESD ≥40 mm (present in 12.4%) was the sole independent associate of reduced survival (5‐year 70±3 versus 76±9%; P =0.009). LVESD ≥40 mm was independently linked to larger body surface area, effective regurgitant orifice, and left atrium, and to male sex and diabetes. With multivariable comprehensive adjustment, LVESD ≥40 mm (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.25 [95% CI, 1.005–1.53]; P =0.04) remained associated with excess mortality under medical management, even after adjustment for lowered ejection fraction (aHR, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.13–1.95]; P =0.004) and in all patient subsets. Among patients with moderate degenerative MR and LVESD ≥40 mm, 22% underwent mitral surgery within 3 months, which was associated with superior survival, even after comprehensive adjustment (aHR, 0.11 [95% CI, 0.005–0.51]; P =0.002). Conclusions Disproportionate LV enlargement in patients with less‐than‐severe degenerative MR is common, particularly with larger bodies, regurgitation, and overall cardiac remodeling. LVESD ≥40 mm is associated with worse survival independent of all baseline characteristics, even lowered ejection fraction, and represents a marker for risk stratification of patients who are generally not yet considered for medical or surgical/interventional treatment.

Activation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), a key downstream target of nitric oxide (NO) signaling, is reduced in valve tissue from patients with fibrocalcific aortic valve stenosis (FCAVS). We hypothesized that restoring NO signaling pathway using Ataciguat (ATA)—an activator of oxidized sGC—would slow progression of aortic valve calcification. To determine whether Ataciguat attenuates bone morphogenetic protein (BMP2) signaling in vitro, we treated mouse aortic valve interstitial cells with exogenous BMP2(200ng/ml) with or without ATA(10nm), and demonstrated that ATA significantly reduced canonical BMP2 signaling by more than 50% (p< 0.01). To determine whether Ataciguat slows progression of FCAVS in vivo , ldlr -/- /apoB 100/100 mice were assigned to one of two groups:1) 9 months of western diet feeding (WD), or 2) 6 months of WD followed by 3 months of WD + ATA (5mg/kg ATA). In this model, Ataciguat attenuated BMP signaling in aortic valve tissue (p < 0.05), reduced aortic valve calcification (p < 0.05), and prevented progression of aortic valve dysfunction (p < 0.05). Finally, to determine whether ATA slows progression of calcification in humans, we treated patients with mild-to-moderate FCAVS with placebo or ATA (200 mg/day) for 6 months. In this Phase II clinical trial, ATA significantly slowed progression of aortic valve calcification (computed tomography imaging; p = 0.05) and also tended to slow progressive reductions in aortic valve area and valvular stenosis. Collectively, we believe this is the first study to demonstrate the pre-clinical and clinical utility of pharmacologically stimulating sGC to attenuate osteogenic signaling and slow progression of aortic valve disease in mice and humans, and creates a unique opportunity for larger trials focused on the effectiveness of this strategy to delay or prevent surgery in FCAVS.

Abstract Aims Functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) associated with degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR) accentuates the severity of heart failure and is a marker of poor prognosis. Little is known about FTR associated with asymptomatic DMR. Methods and results The study included 1249 asymptomatic patients with moderate or severe DMR from the Mitral Regurgitation International Database-Quantitative (MIDA-Q) registry (mean age 64 ± 15 years, 25% female). Despite the asymptomatic status, absent/trivial FTR was noted in only 42%, mild in 34.5%, moderate in 11%, and severe FTR in 12.5%. Patients with higher FTR grades were older and more often female and had higher EuroScore II, larger left atrial volumes, and more atrial fibrillation (all P &lt; 0.05). Patients with moderate or severe FTR had comparable 5-year survival (64 ± 4% and 65 ± 4%) and lower than patients with no/trivial FTR(96 ± 1%, P &lt; 0.001). After adjustment for key prognostic factors, including age, left ventricular dilatation and dysfunction, DMR severity, left atrial dilatation, and pulmonary hypertension, ≥moderate FTR remained a strong predictor of mortality (HR = 2.08 [1.17–3.72], P = 0.013). Sensitivity analysis showed stable impact of ≥moderate FTR among patients with/without pulmonary hypertension, in women and men and for any other subset. For patients who underwent mitral valve surgery, post-operative survival rates were similar between those with no/trivial FTR and those with ≥moderate or severe FTR (P = 0.76), suggesting that surgery could reduce the excess mortality related to preoperative FTR. Conclusions Among asymptomatic patients with significant DMR, ≥moderate FTR is frequent and independently associated with higher mortality, independently of traditional guideline-based risk factors. These findings suggest that ≥moderate FTR should lead to consideration of early mitral surgery to improve outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacological treatments for fibrocalcific aortic valve stenosis (FCAVS) have been elusive for >50 years. Here, we tested the hypothesis that reactivation of oxidized sGC (soluble guanylate cyclase), the primary receptor for nitric oxide, with ataciguat is a safe and efficacious strategy to slow progression of FCAVS. METHODS: We used quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry to characterize sGC signaling and the biological effects of ataciguat on signaling cascades related to nitric oxide, calcification, and fibrosis in excised human aortic valve tissue, aortic valve interstitial cells, and mouse aortic valves. We then conducted randomized, placebo-controlled phase I (14-day safety/tolerance) and phase II (6-month efficacy) trials in patients with moderate aortic valve stenosis. RESULTS: In excised human tissue, we found robust losses in sGC signaling despite upregulation of sGC subunits. In vitro, ataciguat increased sGC signaling and reduced BMP2 (bone morphogenetic protein 2) signaling in aortic valve interstitial cells. In mice with established FCAVS, treatment with ataciguat attenuated BMP signaling and slowed progression of valve calcification and dysfunction. In a phase I, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, treatment with ataciguat for 2 weeks was safe and well tolerated in patients with moderate FCAVS ( https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02049203). In a separate phase II, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, treatment with ataciguat for 6 months slowed the progression of aortic valve calcification and tended to slow the progression of valvular and ventricular dysfunction in patients with moderate FCAVS ( https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02481258). CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, this study highlights the therapeutic potential of the targeted restoration of the diseased/inactive form of sGC for treatment of FCAVS. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02049203. URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02481258.

Abstract Background Bicuspid aortic valve(BAV) disease carries a cumulative lifetime morbidity &gt;80%. This morbidity includes surgery for aortic valve dysfunction, aortic dilatation, infective endocarditis, and aortic dissection. This study assessed surgical intervention patterns for BAV-related morbidity and long-term survival of these patients in a community-based cohort versus a tertiary referral cohort. Methods The tertiary-referral cohort included all patients with BAV-related surgeries across Mayo Clinic sites (Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota), from January 1990 to May 2024. The community-based cohort included all patients with BAV-related surgeries in Olmsted County, Minnesota, from January 1980 to May 2024. The tertiary-referral cohort comprised 2529 BAV patients of which 991(39%) [mean age 53±15 years, 76% males] underwent aortic valve surgery(AVR), aorta surgery, or a combination thereof, while the community-based cohort included 652 BAV patients of whom 262(40%) [mean age 43±20 year, 70% males] had the mentioned interventions. Cumulative survival was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method compared to the U.S population. Statistical significance was evaluated using one-sample log rank statistics. Results In the tertiary-referral cohort, 530/991(54%) patients underwent isolated AVR, 62/991(6%) had isolated aortic surgery, and 399(40%) underwent combined procedures. In the community-based cohort, 179/262(68%) patients underwent isolated AVR, 30/262(11%) underwent isolated aortic surgery, and 53(21%) had combined surgeries. In the tertiary-referral cohort, 940 patients underwent AVR; 57% for aortic stenosis(AS), 29% for aortic regurgitation(AR), 13% for mixed valvular disease, and 1% for endocarditis. In comparison, in the community-based cohort, 236 patients underwent AVR for AS in 71%, AR 20%, mixed valvular disease 7%, and endocarditis 2%. In the tertiary-referral cohort, 459 patients underwent aortic surgery; 21% for the root, 69% for the ascending aorta, 1% for the arch, &lt;1% for aortic dissection, and 8% for coarctation repair. In comparison, 105 patients from the community-based cohort underwent aortic surgery; 33% for the root, 44% for the ascending aorta, 1% for the arch, 4% for aortic dissection and 18% coarctation repair. Compared to age- and sex-matched U.S. population, the relative risk for all cause death in the tertiary-referral cohort was 0.89 [95% CI: 0.70-1.11, p=0.35], whereas in the community-based cohort was 1.06 [95% CI: 0.85-1.32, p=0.57](Figure1). Conclusion Surgical intervention patterns were similar for community and tertiary BAV cohorts, with most patients undergoing isolated AVR or AVR plus aortic surgery, and isolated aortic surgery being uncommon. AVR indications were driven by AS, followed by AR and mixed valvular disease. Aortic surgery indications were driven by ascending aorta dilatation, followed by root dilatation and coarctation. Survival in both cohorts was similar to the U.S. general population.