American Heart Association Launches National Heart Valve Initiative to Combat Rising Disease Burden

Heart valve disease affects more than 28 million people globally and contributes to over 60,000 deaths annually in the United States alone. The American Heart Association is establishing heart valve disease as a critical focus area through a new nationwide initiative designed to improve patient outcomes and healthcare quality through science and education. The Heart Valve Initiative will harmonize the Association's efforts in patient education, professional education, systems of care and quality improvement to create greater impact for patients and clinical outcomes.

The initiative will expand efforts to help health systems and clinicians identify patients affected by heart valve disease earlier, treat them faster and deliver care aligned with the latest evidence-based guidelines. By integrating new hospital certification programs, healthcare professional education and patient engagement tools, the program is designed to drive improvement across the full continuum of care. Mariell Jessup, M.D., FAHA, chief science and medical officer of the American Heart Association, emphasized the importance of ensuring patients with valve disease have a system of care supporting their needs from diagnosis to treatment without unnecessary delays.

The Heart Valve Initiative is made possible from founding sponsor Edwards Lifesciences, building on current work around aortic stenosis, one of the most common and serious heart valve diseases. The Target: Aortic Stenosis™ program uses a data registry to enhance the patient experience from symptom onset to appropriate diagnosis and follow-through to timely treatment and disease management. With one in 40 people in the U.S. having heart valve disease and risk increasing with age, particularly for those over 65, early detection becomes crucial. Todd J. Brinton, chief scientific officer and corporate vice president of advanced innovation and technology at Edwards Lifesciences, noted that too many patients with valve disease go undiagnosed until it's too late, highlighting the initiative's importance in saving lives.

Over the next five years, the initiative will improve adherence to guideline-based care for heart valve diseases, expand data collection in the existing Target: Aortic Stenosis registry, build a guideline-based heart valve certification program for hospitals, advance public reporting and expand hospital recognition to drive high-quality care, provide multimedia education for both healthcare professionals and patients, and launch a national awareness campaign to educate people about heart valve disease. Key clinical metrics for improvement will include timely diagnosis and management of severe and asymptomatic aortic stenosis, quality of echocardiographic assessment for heart valve diseases and appropriate referral to follow-up cardiac care. Additional educational resources about heart valve disease screening are available at https://screenheartvalvedisease.com/.