Cardiovascular diseases are a major health burden, accounting for approximately 45% of all deaths in the European Region. Treatment options for patients include non-surgical interventional procedures, such as catheter-based heart valve treatments, which have now been in use for more than 15 years. These interventional treatment methods are undergoing continuous development, are being adapted for the treatment of other cardiac diseases - for example, mitral valves have been treated this way for about ten years - and are being made available to a larger patient population.

The prospective cohort study AVIVA is designed to evaluate interventional procedures for the reconstruction of atrioventricular heart valves, that is mitral and tricuspid valves. It includes a systematic recording of patient characteristics, risk profile and procedure-related aspects (complications, benefits) as well as the establishment of a detailed biobanking.

The goal is to optimize risk stratification for these percutaneous interventional procedures, evaluate clinical management strategies and outcomes of interventional procedures. In a holistic approach, effects of sociodemographic, environmental and personal factors, as well as lifestyle, are captured as determinants of outcome and analyzed systemically. Comorbidities, genetic patterns and biomolecular markers are assessed for prognostic value. Finally, a long-term data and materials bank will be established for comprehensive research on interventional procedures for valvular heart disease.

AVIVA will improve knowledge of catheter-based percutaneous interventions for atrioventricular valve regression. This will allow for a reduction in mortality and a long-term improvement in the quality of life of these patients.