ABSTRACT
Recently, moderate and severe postprocedure aortic regurgitations (ARs) have been identified as independent risk factors for short- and midterm mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). However, very few data exist on the long-term outcome of postprocedure AR. From 2008 to 2011, 198 consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis successfully underwent TAVI with the CoreValve prosthesis (Medtronic CV, Minneapolis, Minnesota). After the procedure, patients were subdivided into groups depending on the presence of moderate/severe AR. The primary study end point was death from any cause after TAVI. The secondary end point was defined as cardiovascular death. In study patients (80 ± 6 years old, logistic European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation 22 ± 16%, left ventricular ejection fraction 53 ± 13%), moderate/severe AR occurred in 28 patients (14%). Despite similar baseline characteristics, patients with moderate/severe AR had higher 30-day and 1-year mortality rates than patients with none/mild AR (21% vs 6%, p = 0.019; 57% vs 16%, p <0.001, respectively). During a mean follow-up of 535 ± 333 days, the primary end point was reached in 54 and the secondary end point in 33 patients. Moderate/severe AR was the strongest independent risk factor of all-cause-mortality (hazard ratio 4.89, 95% confidence interval 2.78 to 8.56, p <0.001) and the strongest independent risk factor of cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio 7.90, 95% confidence interval 3.95 to 15.81, p <0.001). In conclusion, moderate and severe postprocedure ARs are not uncommon complications after TAVI. Although long-term outcome of patients with none/mild AR is favorable, outcome of patients with moderate/severe AR is dismal.
Subject(s)
Aortic Valve Insufficiency/etiology , Aortic Valve Stenosis/surgery , Cardiac Catheterization , Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation/adverse effects , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Aortic Valve Insufficiency/diagnosis , Aortic Valve Insufficiency/epidemiology , Echocardiography , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Germany/epidemiology , Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation/methods , Humans , Incidence , Male , Prosthesis Failure , Risk Factors , Severity of Illness Index , Time FactorsABSTRACT
AIMS: This prospective study aimed to evaluate the prognostic impact of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and aortic mean gradient patterns on outcome after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). METHODS AND RESULTS: From 2008 to 2011, 202 consecutive patients with severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis (aortic valve area <1.0 cm(2)) were submitted to TAVI. Patients were divided into four groups according to LVEF (>50% vs. ≤ 50%) and aortic mean pressure gradient (>40 mmHg vs. ≤ 40 mmHg): group 1, preserved LVEF/high gradient (n = 86); group 2, preserved LVEF/low gradient (n = 27); group 3, reduced LVEF/high gradient (n = 45); and group 4, reduced LVEF/low gradient (n = 44). A CoreValve prosthesis (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) was inserted retrogradely. Echocardiography was performed before and 1 year after TAVI. The primary study endpoint (1-year all-cause mortality) was reached in 47 patients (23%). All-cause mortality was lowest in group 1 (14%), intermediate in group 2 (22%) and group 3 (27%), and highest in group 4 (39%) (P = 0.007). In survivors, aortic mean gradient decreased in all patients (baseline 48 ± 13 mmHg vs. 10 ± 4 mmHg at 1 year, P < 0.001). LVEF improved in group 3 and group 4 (baseline 42 ± 8% vs. 51 ± 11% at 1 year, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Severe aortic stenosis with low gradient and/or reduced LVEF is associated with worse outcome after TAVI compared with aortic stenosis with preserved LVEF/high gradient. The evaluation of these haemodynamic parameters may help to improve risk stratification in patients undergoing TAVI.
