Abstract
The Journal of the Heart Valve Society (JHVS) is an international, peer-reviewed journal publishing high-quality, original research and innovations on the etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of heart valve disease (HVD). This is the only journal fully dedicated to HVD. The JHVS is published by SAGE and owned by the Heart Valve Society. The journal is the flagship of the Heart Valve Society and provides a voice and forum to the research and healthcare community involved in the management of HVD and to the people living with HVD.
Heart valve disease is the most frequent cardiovascular disease worldwide and is responsible for the loss of millions of lives and of quality-adjusted life years. Until now, there is no pharmacotherapy able to slow or halt the progression of HVD, and the only available option to treat severe HVD is to perform a surgical or transcatheter intervention to repair or replace the failing valve. Hence, HVD constitutes a major socioeconomic and health-care burden.
The goal of the JHVS is to publish high-quality articles to advance the knowledge on the pathophysiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of HVD, and ultimately to improve the longevity and quality of life of people living with HVD. We also aim at being inclusive and are therefore interested in publishing studies originating from the different disciplines and areas of research and innovation including basic research, multiomics, biomedical engineering, epidemiology, general cardiology, cardiovascular imaging, interventional cardiology, cardiac surgery, cardiac rehabilitation, health policies, and patient advocacy.
One of our top priorities is to achieve a high level of diversity, equity, and inclusion with respect to the composition of the editorial board, the authors contributing to the journal and the selected topics. For the editorial board of the JHVS, we have assembled an outstanding group of editors with great diversity in terms of sex, ethnicity, geographical location, discipline and expertise, and stage of career (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/journal-of-the-heart-valve-society/journal203989#editorial-board).
At the JHVS, we are committed to ensure fast and high-quality review process, as well as rapid online publication following acceptance of the articles focusing on HVD.
As editor-in-chief of the JHVS, I am very proud of the very high caliber of the content of this first inaugural issue of the JHVS, which is focused on aortic valve disease. This issue includes three original research articles accompanied by editorials by key opinion leaders in the field. The first original research article by Faure et al reports the association and prognostic implication of peripheral arterial disease and calcific aortic stenosis. The second by Fadel et al is on the assessment of valve hemodynamics following transcatheter versus surgical aortic valve replacement by sex in patients with small aortic annulus dealing with prosthesis patient mismatch. The third by Tastet et al reports the 3-year follow-up of the AVIATOR registry on aortic valve repair.
This first issue also features eight stellar and comprehensive review articles on major topics and issues on aortic valve disease and associated myocardial disease: (1) Extracellular matrix dynamics in aortic valve health and disease: Insights into fibrocalcific remodeling by Patterson et al; (2) Prognostic role of myocardial fibrosis markers in aortic stenosis: implications for clinical decision-making by Kwak et al; (3) Concomitant cardiac amyloidosis and aortic stenosis: update on diagnosis and management by Omer et al; (4) Evaluation and management of aortic stenosis in chronic kidney disease by Mallick et al; (5) The role of multimodality imaging in aortic valve assessment by Besir et al; (6) Ross procedure in adults by Laurin et al; and (7) Data resource profile: Heart Valve Society Aortic Valve Database by Van der Ven et al.
This issue includes a viewpoint article by Salaun et al, which challenges the recently introduced concept of extravalvular cardiac damage staging in HVD. We also present, in this issue, a series of pro and con debate articles by Drs Julien Ternacle, Rebecca Hahn, Houman Khalili, and Amr Abbas on an important and timely topic: which is the best modality to assess bioprosthetic valve hemodynamic function and adjudicate valve dysfunction following transcatheter aortic valve replacement: Doppler echocardiography or invasive assessment by cardiac catheterization?
In this first issue, we are also featuring an expert consensus article that has been led by Drs Emmanuel Lansac, Hanneke Takkenberg, and Kevin Veen, on behalf of the Heart Valve Society and that presents the first ICHOM standards for the reporting of patient-centered outcomes in HVD. One important goal of the JHVS is to highlight and promote the research studies and careers of young investigators. In this issue, we thus publish an article that presents the mission of the recently launched young investigator board of the Heart Valve Society. Finally, Professor Hélène Eltchaninoff is presenting a touching in-memoriam article to underline the outstanding career and contribution of Professor Alain Cribier, who passed away earlier this year. Alain Cribier was a pioneer and a giant in the advancement of the treatment of HVD. He and his team at CHU of Rouen in France have been the first to perform aortic balloon valvuloplasty and transcatheter aortic valve replacement, which have transformed the therapeutic management of aortic valve stenosis.
We plan to publish 4 issues per year and a supplemental issue to publish the abstracts that have been accepted and presented at the annual meeting of the HVS. This first stellar issue of the JHVS focuses on aortic valve disease. The second issue to be published in the first quarter of 2025 will focus on valve intervention, valve substitute, and prosthetic heart valves and devices, the third issue on mitral and tricuspid valve disease, and the fourth on diversity, equity, inclusion issues, and underrepresented or underserved populations in HVD.
The JHVS fulfills an important unmet need for the community fighting HVD and I am convinced that the Journal is in good hands and good brains. This first issue is a great kick-start of the JHVS, and this journal certainly has a bright future. To all the people studying, treating, or living with HVD. To this community: the JHVS is your journal and your voice. So, I strongly encourage you to support the JHVS by submitting your best articles and by citing the publications of the Journal and posting these publications on social media.
Supplementary Material
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