Morristown Medical Center’s Dr. Philippe Genereux Publishes Groundbreaking EARLY TAVR Trial in New England Journal of Medicine

MORRISTOWN N.J., November 6, 2024 – Atlantic Health System is pleased to announce groundbreaking findings from the EARLY TAVR trial led by Dr. Philippe Genereux, Medical Director of the Structural Heart Program at Morristown Medical Center’s Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute. The trial demonstrates that early intervention with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) may significantly improve outcomes compared to a watchful waiting approach. Dr. Genereux presented these pivotal results during the first late-breaking clinical trial session at the 2024 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) Conference, with simultaneous publication in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Approximately five million people in the U.S. suffer from heart valve disease and AS is the most common and severe type. For over 60 years, clinical guidelines have recommended that patients with severe AS undergo regular monitoring every 6 to 12 months, with intervention typically delayed until symptoms appear. Findings from the EARLY TAVR trial show a risk reduction for patients who receive early intervention compared to those in clinical surveillance. These results call for reconsideration of current guidelines to delay intervention until symptoms of heart failure occur, and instead, seek a more proactive approach with early intervention for managing severe AS.

“These findings suggest that waiting until symptoms appear may expose patients to substantial risks and unnecessary advanced complications,” said Dr. Philippe Genereux, one of the world’s most highly cited researchers. “By intervening early, we can improve outcomes and preserve cardiac function, which fundamentally changes how we currently manage severe AS. Shifting our approach based on these findings allows for a more proactive strategy versus a reactive one.”

The EARLY TAVR trial is the first randomized, controlled trial to look at early intervention with TAVR as a strategy in patients with severe AS without symptoms. At a median follow-up of 3.8 years, the study found that patients who underwent early intervention had a 50% reduction in incidence of death, stroke, or unplanned cardiovascular hospitalization. The study also showed these patients were less likely to experience deterioration in left ventricular and left atrial function compared to those in the surveillance group. In the study, 45.3% of the 446 patients who continued regular monitoring without intervention experienced serious health events such as death, stroke, or unplanned hospital visits, compared to 26.8% of the 455 patients who received TAVR. This suggests that intervening before symptoms develop could help preserve heart function and overall patient health.

Morristown Medical Center has the largest TAVR program in New Jersey and is among the top programs in the nation. Earlier this year, its structural heart program marked a significant milestone of performing over 5,000 TAVR procedures, the first in New Jersey and among the first to accomplish this in the United States.

Advancing the latest research and clinical trials and ultimately changing the way care is delivered remain a priority for Atlantic Health System, that champions research into a myriad of clinical applications through its Atlantic Center for Research.

About Research at Atlantic Health System

Atlantic Health System is building healthier communities through groundbreaking research.

Advancing the science behind Atlantic Health’s award-winning network of care is the Atlantic Center for Research (ACR). The ACR is the hub for cutting-edge, patient centered, translational and clinical research, with the potential to directly impact patient outcomes and shape the future of personalized care. The ACR research portfolio includes industry and federally sponsored clinical research in a range of medical conditions including cancer, heart disease and complex neurological conditions.

The ACR pairs extraordinary talent with vast resources. Leading physicians have access to a robust research infrastructure including state of the art laboratories and a biospecimen bank. Results are shared with the world through publication in national journals, conferences and through the ACR’s annual Research Symposium.

About Atlantic Health System

Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of 20,000 team members and 5,440 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey including 14 counties and 7.5 million people.

The not-for-profit system offers more than 550 sites of care, including its eight hospitals: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Newton Medical Center in Newton, NJ, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ, Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ and CentraState Healthcare System in Freehold, NJ.

The system includes Atlantic Medical Group, part of a physician enterprise that makes up one of the largest multispecialty practices in New Jersey with more than 1,700 physicians and advance practice providers. Joined with Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners they form part of Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network of more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.

Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 27 urgent care centers, Atlantic Visiting Nurse and Atlantic Health Virtual Visits. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.

Atlantic Health System leads the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a partnership of six regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability, has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University, is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers, and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.