Updates and Evolution in Aortic Disease Care, With Edward Chen, MD

Aortic disease care has been on an upward trajectory in 2026, with recent guideline updates and trial readouts providing new perspectives on the myriad issues within this specialty.

In an interview with HCPLive, Edward Chen, MD, professor of surgery at Thomas Jefferson University and chief of cardiac surgery at Jefferson Abington Hospital, discussed his perspective on the growth of aortic surgery and his expertise in its application.

“Over the last 25 years since I started my training in cardiac surgery, taking care of the patient after the operation has really led to significant improvement in the outcomes of these types of operations,” Chen told HCPLive. “Whereas before it might have been a coin flip, and it would be hard to know if someone’s going to do well, now, with the right patient selection and thorough evaluation of all of the variables, we can be very confident that many of these patients can go on to not only normal recovery, but a normal life.”

Chen’s statements on this patient-first approach mirror the recently published European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) 2026 Clinical Practice Guidelines, published in February 2026, which emphasize the importance of the patient-centered treatment process. In the guidelines, the authors suggest that clinicians expand their focus to include patient perspectives while tailoring interventions to fit life expectancy and functional status. Additionally, the document pushes for further inclusion of multidisciplinary care, centralizing treatment in high-volume centers and prioritizing team-based decision making in regard to care.1

Aortic disease care is also evolving through ongoing clinical trials, including the ARISE III trial at Stanford University. The program focuses on a less invasive alternative for certain high-risk patients with de novo Type A aortic dissections, evaluating the efficacy and safety of a new investigational stent graft device. The trial began in May of 2026 and is currently ongoing with plans to conclude in 2030. ARISE III currently aims to enroll 112 patients across the US.2

Jefferson Health is also participating in an ongoing trial investigating the efficacy and safety of the Navitor Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) system, which is in development by Abbott. Roughly 1500 patients will be enrolled in the trial at ≤80 sites in the US and ≤15 internationally. The device will be investigated in both patients with symptomatic, severe native aortic stenosis at intermediate or low risk of surgical mortality and in patients with symptomatic heart disease due to failure of a surgical or transcatheter bioprosthetic aortic valve at high or greater surgical risk.3

Chen also discussed his move to Jefferson Health and his upcoming projects within the organization, highlighting several potential targets for research.

“A lot of this work involves looking at aortic root surgery outcomes related to valve repair, aortic arch operations, various methods for protection – not just what I do, but also what my colleagues do in microval repair, coronary artery bypass, transplantation, and so on,” Chen said. “There’s a wide breadth of research going on here, and really, I’m only just scratching the surface of what’s being done.”

Editors’ Note: Chen reports no relevant disclosures.

References

1. Wanhainen A, Gombert A, Antoniou GA, et al. European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) 2026 Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Descending Thoracic and Thoraco-Abdominal Aortic Diseases - Editor's Choice. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2026 Feb;71(2):172-270. doi: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2025.12.050.

2. Nichols L. Stanford Continues to Advance Ascending Aorta Treatments Through National ARISE III Clinical Trial. Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. July 30, 2026. Accessed October 6, 2026. https://med.stanford.edu/ctsurgery/about-the-department/news/2026/stanford-continues-to-advance-ascending-aorta-treatments.html

3. Abbott Medical Devices. ENVISION IDE Trial: Safety and Effectiveness of NAVITOR in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (ENVISION). ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05932615. Updated September 11, 2026. Accessed October 6, 2026. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05932615#contactlocation