The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), on May 1, released the following joint statement in response to recent media coverage about Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR):

“Recent media coverage of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR) has raised important questions about treatment options and long-term outcomes for patients with valve disease. However, this coverage falls short in the collaborative, multidisciplinary nature of cardiovascular treatment.

Every candidate for aortic valve replacement is evaluated by a team that includes both an interventional cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon. This team, in partnership with the patient, reviews the same outcome data, registries, and individual clinical factors, including age, anatomy, and comorbidities. This collaborative approach is in accordance with the standard of care set forth in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Coverage Determination for TAVR and ensures balanced, patient-centered recommendations rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.

Long-term registry data informs how heart teams counsel patients, and both TAVR and SAVR have demonstrated meaningful, life-saving outcomes for appropriate candidates. Cardiologists and surgeons are able to engage in shared decision-making with each patient to make sure they receive the intervention best suited to their unique clinical situations, informed by experience, evidence and collaboration.

ACC, SCAI, and STS strongly endorse this framework that ensures treatment decisions are patient-centered and tailored to address individual circumstances such as age, severity of illness, and complicating risk factors. We also remain committed to the ongoing generation of evidence on the safety and efficacy of TAVR, including its expanded use across additional indications.

As societies representing key aspects of cardiovascular care, we write together to affirm that the multidisciplinary heart team approach remains the standard guiding every decision in cardiovascular care, especially in addressing aortic valve disease.

We encourage patients with questions about aortic valve disease to speak with a qualified heart team at a multidisciplinary valve clinic.”

Roxana Mehran, MD, FACC
President, American College of Cardiology

J. Dawn Abbott, MD, MSCAI
President, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions

Vinay Badhwar, MD, FACS, FACC
President, Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Clinical Topics: Cardiac Surgery, Invasive Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention, Valvular Heart Disease, Cardiac Surgery and VHD, Interventions and Structural Heart Disease

Keywords: Aortic Valve Disease, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, Registries