ESC Releases Updated Guidelines Expanding TAVR Use to Younger Heart Valve Patients

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) have released updated 2025 guidelines for valvular heart disease, advocating for earlier and more uniform use of less invasive treatments like transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), lowering the age threshold for TAVR eligibility from 75 to 70 years. These guidelines emphasize a simplified and accessible approach to care, recommending multidisciplinary teams in high-volume centers for complex cases to address disparities in treatment across Europe. Edwards Lifesciences supports the new guidance, highlighting its SAPIEN 3 platform's role in enabling intervention for asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis and showcasing positive data from its EVOQUE transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement system, which reduces heart failure hospitalizations. The updated recommendations also expand on transcatheter mitral and tricuspid repair therapies, reflecting confidence in the safety, efficacy, and durability of these minimally invasive procedures. Collectively, these advancements aim to improve patient outcomes by promoting proactive management based on recent randomized controlled trials and extensive clinical experience. This marks a significant step in standardizing care and enhancing treatment accessibility for structural heart disease patients.