Comorbidity Burden and Adverse Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become the preferred treatment for symptomatic patients with aortic stenosis and elevated procedural risk. Many deaths following TAVR are because of noncardiac causes and comorbid disease burden may be a major determinant of postprocedure outcomes. The prevalence of comorbid conditions and associations with outcomes after TAVR has not been studied. Methods and Results This was a retrospective single-center study of patients treated with TAVR from January 2015 to October 2018. The association between 21 chronic conditions and short- and medium-term outcomes was assessed. A total of 341 patients underwent TAVR and had 1-year follow-up. The mean age was 81.4 (SD 8.0) years with a mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality score of 6.7% (SD 4.8). Two hundred twenty (65%) patients had ≥4 chronic conditions present at the time of TAVR. There was modest correlation between Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality and comorbid disease burden (r=0.32, P<0.001). After adjusting for Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality, age, and vascular access, each additional comorbid condition was associated with increased rates of 30-day rehospitalizations (odds ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.02-1.44), a composite of 30-day rehospitalization and 30-day mortality (odds ratio, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.02-1.42), and 1-year mortality (odds ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.05-1.59). Conclusions Comorbid disease burden is associated with worse clinical outcomes in high-risk patients treated with TAVR. The risks associated with comorbid disease burden are not adequately captured by standard risk assessment. A systematic assessment of comorbid conditions may improve risk stratification efforts.

Incidence and implications of idiopathic thrombocytopenia following transcatheter aortic valve replacement with the Edwards Sapien(©) valves: a single center experience.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and etiology of thrombocytopenia following transcatheter Aortic valve replacement (TAVR). BACKGROUND: the use of TAVR in the United States has grown rapidly. Anecdotally, thrombocytopenia following TAVR with the Sapien valves has been observed, though little is known about this phenomenon. METHODS: All patients treated with TAVR using a Sapien valve or who underwent isolated balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) at Brigham and Women's Hospital from October 2009 through November 2012 were analyzed. Post-procedure thrombocytopenia severity was stratified as none (>150,000 cells/µL), mild (100-150,000), and moderate to severe (<100,000). Summary statistics and simple comparisons were evaluated. Linear regression models were used to identify patient or procedural factors associated with platelet count nadir. RESULTS: 112 TAVR and 105 BAV patients were analyzed. Following TAVR the prevalence of thrombocytopenia was 69% and the incidence of new thrombocytopenia was 45% compared to 37% and 17% respectively following BAV (P < 0.01). Similar results were found across all strata of thrombocytopenia severity. Post-TAVR platelet nadirs were greater by 1,840 cells/µL for each 1% increase in STS score (P = 0.03) and 670 cells/µL greater for each 1 mmHg increase in pre-TAVR mean aortic stenosis gradient. Among TAVR patients, thrombocytopenia appears to spontaneously resolve an average of 8 days post-procedure. No differences in clinical outcomes based on thrombocytopenia severity were observed except for an increased use of blood products (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Thrombocytopenia following TAVR with the Edwards' Sapien valves is a frequent but generally self-limited process. The etiology of this phenomenon is unknown.