More than 28 million people worldwide are living with heart valve disease, a condition that contributes to more than 60,000 deaths annually in the United States alone. Despite these staggering numbers, many individuals remain unaware of their symptoms or delay critical treatment, creating a significant public health challenge that demands immediate attention.
The American Heart Association is addressing this growing crisis through the launch of its comprehensive Heart Valve Initiative, a nationwide program designed to improve patient outcomes and healthcare quality through coordinated efforts in science, education, and systems of care. The initiative will harmonize the Association's work across patient education, professional training, quality improvement, and care delivery systems to create greater impact for patients and clinical outcomes.
Dr. Mariell Jessup, chief science and medical officer of the American Heart Association, emphasized the urgency of this approach. The Association is uniquely positioned to lead a comprehensive initiative that can help ensure timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment and hopefully a longer, healthier life for those living with valve disease, Jessup stated. She highlighted the priority of ensuring patients with valve disease have a system of care supporting their needs from diagnosis to treatment without unnecessary delays.
The initiative's foundation includes support from Edwards Lifesciences as founding sponsor, building upon existing work around aortic stenosis, one of the most common and serious heart valve diseases. The Target: Aortic Stenosis™ program utilizes a data registry to enhance the patient experience from symptom onset through diagnosis, treatment, and disease management. Edwards Lifesciences also serves as founding sponsor for this complementary program.
The scale of the problem is substantial, with approximately one in 40 people in the U.S. affected by heart valve disease, and risk increasing significantly with age, particularly for those over 65. Todd J. Brinton, chief scientific officer and corporate vice president of advanced innovation and technology at Edwards Lifesciences, noted the critical need for earlier intervention. Over our more than six decades creating treatments for patients with structural heart disease, we know that sadly too many patients with valve disease go undiagnosed until it's too late, Brinton explained.
Over the next five years, the Heart Valve Initiative will implement several key strategies to transform heart valve disease care. These include improving adherence to guideline-based care with initial focus on aortic stenosis, expanding data collection in the existing Target: Aortic Stenosis registry to include enhanced measurement of asymptomatic and moderate cases, and building a guideline-based heart valve certification program for hospitals. The initiative will also 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 and empower informed care decisions.
Key clinical metrics targeted for improvement 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. The initiative represents a coordinated approach to addressing a condition that affects millions globally while demonstrating particular urgency in the U.S. healthcare landscape. Additional support for the Heart Valve Initiative comes from Kardigan, complementing the foundational support from Edwards Lifesciences.
