AHA Announces Valvular Disease Education Program

August 7, 2012—The American Heart Association (AHA) announced that it will launch a fully interactive valvular disease patient education center. The AHA will receive $1.2 million over the next 4 years that will support the development of a comprehensive online portal offering support and education tools to those patients with valvular diseases, their families, caregivers, and healthcare providers. The funding has been awarded as a grant from The Edwards Lifesciences Fund (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA).

According to the AHA, approximately 1.8 million Google searches are performed per month using valvular disease-related words and an additional 2.2 million-plus searches use the term “heart disease.” With the prevalence of valvular disease and its high Internet search frequency, the society approached Edwards Lifesciences to address an unmet need for patient education.

The AHA stated that it seeks to use the Web site to provide extensive education on the varying types of valvular disease, including aortic valve disease, mitral valve prolapse, pulmonary valve disease, and tricuspid valve disease. The Web site will potentially include elements such as visual illustrations, interactive animations, healthy lifestyle information, current and future treatment options, interactive quizzes, interactive expert and patient Q&A and blog sections, and a video series. The first phase of the valvular disease patient education Web site is slated to launch in April 2013.

“This Web site has the opportunity to help educate and change the lives of patients and their caregivers in a very unique way,” commented AHA President Donna Arnett, PhD, in a press release. “We thank the Edwards Lifesciences Fund for giving us the opportunity to advance such an extensive Web site that will offer to the public for the very first time cutting-edge information and forums for patient interaction on valvular diseases.”

Edwards Lifesciences' Sapien transcatheter aortic heart valve is currently the only device approved and commercially available in the United States for transcatheter valve replacement. The US Food and Drug Administration approved the Sapien valve in November 2011 for transfemoral delivery to treat inoperable patients who have severe symptomatic aortic stenosis.

“As the prevalence of valvular disease grows and patients become more involved in their treatment journey, we need to ensure they have comprehensive resources available to help them understand and pursue their path to a higher quality of life,” said the company's Chairman and CEO, Michael A. Mussallem, in a press release. “We are enthusiastic supporters of the American Heart Association and its goal of developing the number-one digital resource for valvular disease patients, their families, and caregivers—patients need it.”