This year's edition of CRT is underway in Washington, and much of the emphasis is predictably on transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR). While some of the speakers hinted that while they are amenable to using the procedure on lower-risk patients, one of them said the continued emphasis on high-risk patients in trials is making referring cardiologists anxious about referring their patients to the procedure. Underlying some of the problem, however, is some grumbling over the STS risk scoring methodology for this procedure, with one cardiologist describing it as "a very flawed system" for determining risk. Read More
