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In Europe, mitral regurgitation and aortic stenosis are the most common valve lesions requiring interventions. In advanced stages, these valve pathologies affect patients' quality of life and prognosis. The prevalence of mitral regurgitation and aortic stenosis is increasing with age. In view of an aging population and the comorbidities associated with age, these valve defects represent an increasing challenge to health care providers. Nowadays, surgical as well as catheter-based treatment options are available to treat affected patients. Therapeutic strategies suitable to the individual patient should be discussed in interdisciplinary heart teams. The aim of the present article is to give an overview of possible guideline-conform heart team decisions based on patient examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preoperative cardiovascular risk management accounts for patient related risk factors, the circumstances leading to the surgical procedure, and the risk of the operation. While urgent operations should not be delayed for cardiac testing, an elective surgical intervention should be postponed in unstable cardiac conditions. In stable cardiac situations, prophylactic coronary interventions to reduce the risk of perioperative complications are rarely indicated. Therefore, in most cases, the planned operation can be performed without previous cardiac stress testing or coronary angiography. Preoperative imaging stress testing is recommended for patients with poor functional capacities that are at high cardiovascular risk prior to a high-risk operation. According to the literature, preoperative prophylactic administration of beta-blockers and aspirin is controversial. Preoperative discontinuation of dual anti-platelet therapy within six months following drug-eluting stent implantation is not recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]