Aortic regurgitation (AR) is a common heart valve disease, and aortic valve replacement is an important treatment at present. With the advent of new methods such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement, patients with high-risk AR have been effectively treated. In particular, the emergence of new generations of transcatheter prosthetic valve systems has made the treatment of patients with AR more and more abundant. To treat patients with AR, it is necessary to establish the concept of “once diagnosed, lifelong management”, delay the progression of the disease through various means, and ultimately reduce the mortality of patients with AR and improve the quality of life. Therefore, this article reviews the basic characteristics of AR patients in China, the development and challenges faced by transcatheter aortic valve replacement surgery, follow-up, and postoperative rehabilitation plans, aiming to help physicians use different methods in a reasonable and standardized manner when facing AR patients with different causes and disease progression, and achieve the goal of achieving correct and effective lifelong management of AR patients.
In recent years, with the continuous development and increasing maturity of interventional techniques, interventional treatment for congenital heart disease (CHD) has been progressively disseminated to county- and city-level hospitals in China. Concurrently, the standardized management of adult CHD (particularly patent foramen ovale) and the lifelong management of complex CHD are gaining increasing clinical attention, while the emergence of new techniques and products continuously advances the discipline. This article aims to review the new progress made in the field of interventional treatment for congenital heart disease in China during 2024. It specifically reviews and analyzes the following key aspects: (1) annual statistics on interventional closure procedures for CHD; (2) recent insights into patent foramen ovale closure; (3) advances in transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement; (4) interventional treatment and lifelong management strategies for complex CHD; (5) new interventional techniques for acquired heart disease; and (6) the application of artificial intelligence in CHD management. Through the synthesis and discussion of these topics, this article seeks to provide a detailed analysis of the current landscape of interventional treatment for CHD in China and project its future development trends.
With the rapid advancements in surgical and interventional therapies, over 90% of children with congenital heart disease can now survive into adulthood with appropriate treatment. As a rapidly expanding population, adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients often present with complex anatomical abnormalities and post-procedural complications, posing significant long-term management challenges for clinicians. The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association jointly released the 2025 guidelines for the management of adult congenital heart disease, which represents a comprehensive and fundamental update following the inaugural 2008 edition. This new guideline not only integrates the latest evidence-based data but also marks a paradigm shift in ACHD management, from a disease-centered approach to a patient-centered lifelong continuum of care. This article aims to provide an interpretation of the guidelines from the perspective of a cardiac surgeon to provide references for the management of various disease subtypes.