How can we better identify people with aortic stenosis and cardiac amyloid?

CAAST study: cardiac amyloid and aortic stenosis in the TAVI era (Dr Kush Patel)

Aortic stenosis (AS) is a common heart valve disease where blood flow through the narrowed aortic valve is restricted. AS increases the risk of death. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a common treatment for severe aortic stenosis that reduces the risk of death and improves symptoms. However, it is unclear why around half of the people who undergo TAVI do not benefit from the treatment. Cardiac amyloidosis is a disease where abnormal proteins embed themselves within heart muscle, preventing it from working properly. TAVI is unlikely to cure cardiac amyloidosis. Professor James moon and team have identified cardiac amyloidosis in 1 in 7 people with AS undergoing TAVI. They found that these people seem to die earlier than those without cardiac amyloids. The team are now trying to find out how people with both AS and cardiac amyloidosis can be better identified, and whether TAVI is a suitable treatment for people with both conditions. The researchers will compare various features of people with AS and cardiac amyloid, those with only AS, those with only cardiac amyloidosis, and those without heart disease. From this they will determine if the combination of AS and cardiac amyloidosis should lead to different treatment and patient care in these individuals. Understanding how to best identify and treat people with AS and cardiac amyloidosis could lead to improved survival rates and prevent costly and unnecessary TAVI procedures from going ahead.