Increased Rate of New-onset Left Bundle Branch Block in Patients With Bicuspid Aortic Stenosis Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (From a National Registry).

There is a growing interest in transcutaneous aortic valve implantation (TAVI) therapy among patients with bicuspid severe aortic stenosis (BAV). Conduction disturbances remain a frequent complication of TAVI, and new-onset permanent LBBB (NOP-LBBB) post-TAVI may be a marker of worse outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the rate of NOP-LBBB following TAVI among patients with BAV as compared to tricuspid severe aortic stenosis (TAV). Patients enrolled in the multicenter (5 centers) Bicuspid AS TAVI Registry were reviewed and compared with patients with TAV. Patients with previous aortic valve replacement, other valve morphologies and those with preprocedural LBBB or pacemaker were excluded. NOP-LBBB was defined as LBBB first detected and persisting 30-days following TAVI. A total of 387 patients (66 with BAV, 321 with TAV), age 80.3 ± 7.3, 47% females were analyzed. The device success rates were 95% in both groups without any conversions to surgery. The rate of NOP-LBBB was significantly higher among patients with BAV versus TAV (29.2% vs 16.9%, p = 0.02). However, the rate of post procedural pacemaker implantation was similar (14.8% vs 12.5%; respectively, p = 0.62). In BAV and TAV groups, 1-year mortality (6.1% vs 7.2%; respectively, p = 0.75) and stroke rates (6.1% vs 3.5%; respectively, p = 0.30) were not significantly different. Multivariate analysis identified BAV as an independent predictor of NOP-LBBB (AdjOR = 2.7, 95%CI 1.3 to 5.4). Furthermore, BAV subtypes with raphe (type 1) were identified as independent predictors of NOP-LBBB (AdjOR = 3.2, 95%CI: 1.5 to 6.7). In conclusion, patients with BAV undergoing TAVI have greater risk for developing NOP-LBBB compared with patients with TAV and the presence of raphe was associated with increased risk of NOP-LBBB. The prognostic significance for this finding warrants further evaluation in future studies.

Long-Term Functional and Structural Durability of Bioprosthetic Valves Placed in the Aortic Valve Position via Percutaneous Rout in Israel.

There is limited organized "real life" data regarding the long-term structural and functional durability of transcatheter aortic valve implants, a topic of major importance. We assessed the 5-year structural and functional integrity outcomes following trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with both self-expandable and balloon-expandable prosthetic valve devices. This study included 450 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) between September 2008 and December 2011. Data were acquired from a multicenter Israeli registry and the median follow up time was 5.6 years. In 184 patients (40.9%) who survived 5 years, prostheses displayed sustained hemodynamic performance, with average peak and mean aortic valve gradients of 16.2 ± 8.9 and 9.2 ± 6.6 mm Hg, respectively. Late structural valve deterioration was found in 22 (12.3%) patients. Of these, 16 (8.9%) experienced valve deterioration and 6 (3.3%) experienced valve failure. Among the 6 patients with bioprosthetic valve failure, only 3 underwent re-interventions. Bioprosthetic valve dysfunction occurred more frequently in patients with small valves (23 mm) and high peak and mean transvalvular gradients at baseline. In conclusion, a relatively low rate of valve deterioration or failure was noted in our long-term follow-up study after TAVI procedures with both the catheter-based self-expandable and balloon-expandable prosthetic valves.

The effect of periprocedural beta blocker withdrawal on arrhythmic risk following transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of periprocedural beta-blocker (BB) discontinuation among patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and high degree atrioventricular block (HD-AVB) and/or atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: The study population comprised 743 consecutive patients who underwent TAVR between 2009 and 2017 in two high-volume tertiary centers. All patients received chronic BB therapy, and were divided into two groups: (1) BB continuation and (2) BB discontinued 24 hr prior to the procedure. The primary endpoint was the development of composite brady and tachy-arrhytmic events (including HD-AVB and/or NOAF) following the procedure. RESULTS: Among 743 study patients, 366 (49%) continued BB prior to the procedure and in 377 (51%) chronic BB therapy was discontinued. The rate of the composite periprocedural arrhythmic event was significantly higher among patients who stopped BB (20% vs. 13%, respectively, P = 0.018). Consistently, multivariate analysis showed that discontinuation of BB was associated with two-fold (P = 0.003) increase in the risk for periprocedural arrhythmic events (OR = 2.0; 95% CI 1.24-3.23; P = 0.004). The association between BB discontinuation and periprocedural arrhythmic events was consistent for the separate endpoints for HDAV and NOAF. Furthermore, the need for permanent pacemaker was significantly higher among patients who discontinued BB (20% vs. 13%; P = 0.018, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients undergoing TAVR who receive chronic BB therapy, BB discontinuation prior to the procedure is independently associated with a significant increase in the rate of adverse arrhythmic events, including HDAVB, NOAF, and the need for pacemaker implantation.