Valvular Heart Disease - healthcare professional resources
VHD guidelines
Decision-making in VHD involves accurate diagnosis, timing of intervention, risk assessment and, based on these, selection of the most suitable type of intervention. These guidelines focus on acquired VHD and its management. This guideline will be updated in 2025
Endocarditis guidelines
The current guidelines have been developed to support healthcare professionals with the diagnosis and management of patients with infective endocarditis. There have been multiple developments in the care of patients with infective endocarditis. This document should serve as a guide for clinicians involved in the diagnosis and management of infective endocarditis patients and should lead to improved outcomes for this serious disease.
ESC & ACNAP: AortiCare
AortiCare is an innovative educational programme co-organised by ESC and ACNAP, designed to support primary care professionals, general cardiologists, interventionalists and nurses in the timely diagnosis, referral, and management of patients with aortic stenosis, a condition affecting over 12% of Europeans over 75.
AortiCare addresses key challenges healthcare professionals face in the care of patients with aortic stenosis. By providing you with cutting-edge knowledge and resources, AortiCare aims to improve the care pathway and patient outcomes.
Resources include: webinars, e-learning module and toolkit.
Heart Failure and Heart Valve Disease programme
This elearning programme was developed to support health and care professionals from a range of multidisciplinary backgrounds, in better understanding heart failure and heart valve disease. It is targeted at clinicians in primary and community care settings, including GPs.
Global Heart Hub call to action
Despite recommendations in several valvular heart disease clinical guidelines across the globe, too often, people living with heart valve disease (HVD) are still not being optimally involved in conversations about their treatment options and preferences.
Global areas of focus:
- A common understanding of the components required to constitute quality shared decision-making
- Data and research on the effectiveness of shared decision-making and interventions to facilitate it
- A heart team/multidisciplinary care approach within all cardiac disciplines, including HVD
- Incorporation of shared decision-making into health policies
- Partnerships with key stakeholders
Valvular Heart Disease - patient resources
This guide from Global Heart Hub aims to support people with heart valve disease in participating in decision-making about their care
What is heart valve disease?
The Global Heart Hub information leaflet provides more information.
This page provides an overview of heart valve disease, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and living with valvular heart disease
Heart Valve Voice is the UK’s dedicated heart valve disease charity working to help increase the awareness of heart valve disease in the UK and improve diagnosis and treatment
The Somerville Heart Foundation provide information and support for people with heart valve disease associated with congenital heart disease.
Cardiosmart provides information, infographics and decision making tools to improve awareness of heart valve disease and support shared decision making.