The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) Transcatheter Valve Therapy (TVT) Registry is a national initiative that monitors patient safety and real-world outcomes following catheter-based heart valve procedures. Through standardized data collection, performance evaluation, and research, the registry helps participating healthcare organizations assess and improve the quality of structural heart care. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is one of the principal procedures monitored.
TAVR is a minimally invasive treatment for severe aortic stenosis that uses a catheter to deliver a replacement valve to the heart. For patients undergoing TAVR, the registry collects information throughout the treatment process, including patient characteristics, medical history, procedural indications, frailty assessments, procedural details, and outcomes. These data help clinicians evaluate how patient characteristics and treatment approaches influence procedural safety and recovery.
Important outcomes monitored include mortality, stroke, major bleeding, acute kidney injury, and paravalvular regurgitation, or leakage around the implanted valve. The registry’s risk-adjusted reporting accounts for differences in patient characteristics, helping hospitals make more meaningful comparisons with national performance benchmarks. This information supports the identification of areas where clinical practices and care processes may be improved.
Accurate documentation and timely follow-up are essential to meaningful registry reporting. TAVR outcomes are assessed at 30 days and one year, allowing programs to evaluate recovery beyond the initial hospitalization. Patient-reported measures, including the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), help assess health status and quality of life. These measures complement clinical outcomes by capturing the patient’s experience of treatment and recovery.
Participating programs use registry findings to guide quality improvement, evaluate treatment strategies, and monitor outcomes over time. The registry also supports clinical research and post-market device surveillance, helping clinicians, researchers, and regulatory agencies better understand the safety and effectiveness of transcatheter valve therapies in everyday practice. Its central purpose is to translate clinical data into safer, higher-quality, patient-centered care.
Medicare coverage note: CMS’s September 10, 2026, TAVR coverage decision removed mandatory registry participation for patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis. CMS continues to encourage voluntary participation and requires hospitals to maintain a continuous quality improvement process. Registry participation can contribute to that process, but participation alone does not satisfy the entire quality improvement requirement.