The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association released updated guidelines Dec. 17 for treating heart valve diseases that emphasize less invasive treatments.
The new guidelines also reflect evolving lifestyle and medication guidance for heart valve disease, which affects about half of adults 65 and older.
One guideline update involves transcatheter valve implantation, a technique that is growing in popularity as research shows comparable outcomes to the more invasive option of surgical replacement.
The updated guidelines were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Circulation, the AHA's flagship journal.
To view the full guidelines, click here.