Ascension Illinois doctor co-authors major study on aortic stenosis

Ascension Illinois is pleased to recognize the Structural Heart and Research programs at Ascension Alexian Brothers for their contribution to a recent study about the efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with moderate aortic stenosis (AS).

Aortic stenosis, a type of heart valve failure, is a condition where one of the valves between the lower left heart chamber and the body's main artery becomes narrowed. TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat AS in which a doctor guides a thin, flexible tube through a blood vessel in order to replace the diseased valve.

AS is one of the more common types of heart valve diseases, and it is estimated to affect more than 2.5 million people in the United States, many of which are 65 and older.

The trial results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference in San Diego.

In this trial, doctors tested whether a TAVR procedure would lead to better outcomes for patients with moderate AS compared to current guidelines, which includes only clinical surveillance and assessments every one to two years. Their work found that a care plan involving TAVR was superior to clinical surveillance in lowering the incidence of death or heart failure.

"This is an extremely important study that opens the door to increased flexibility in the treatment of this challenging patient population. The study helps answer essential patient and valve questions that prior publications had only hinted at," said Dr. Andrei Pop, interventional cardiologist, System Structural Lead for Ascension Illinois, and co-author on the study. "We are delighted to have been able to contribute to this crucial body of evidence. Together with our co-investigators, we are reshaping what care looks like for our patients and pushing for better outcomes and quality of life."

Alexian Brothers acts as the heart and vascular center of excellence for Ascension Illinois. Over the past year, the hospital has earned multiple recognitions for its cardiovascular care. This includes a Gold Plus recognition through the American Heart Association's "Get With The Guidelines" program, a silver-level recognition for its atrial fibrillation care, and an Honor Roll distinction for aortic stenosis, a condition involving the narrowing of a valve in the heart. The hospital also earned two surgical recognitions from Castle Connolly, including a national recognition in coronary artery bypass graft surgery.