Abstract
Download the Issue @ a Glance podcast Subscribe to the EHJ Podcast ![Graphic][1] In an ageing society, aortic stenosis becomes an increasingly important condition.1,2 Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has revolutionized the treatment of this elderly and often frail patient population, but the indication for this novel procedure is still under debate.3 Recently, the indication for TAVI was expanded based on the results of randomized controlled trials.4 Thus, the question ‘ TAVI or no TAVI: identifying patients unlikely to benefit from transcatheter aortic valve implantation ’ as discussed by Josep Rodes-Cabau and colleagues from the Heart & Lung Institute at Laval University in Quebec, Canada, becomes daily practice of Heart Teams. Newer device iterations are delivering lower peri- and early post-procedural complication rates in patients with aortic stenosis, who were otherwise deemed too high risk for conventional surgical valve replacement.5 Yet beyond the post-procedural period, a considerable portion of current TAVI recipients fail to derive a benefit from TAVI, because they die either shortly after implantation of the valve or due to lack of clinical and functional improvement. With increasing possibilities, considerable interest now lies in better identifying factors likely to predict futility post-TAVI. Implicit in this are the critical roles of frailty, disability, and a multimorbidity patient assessment. TAVI risk scores, and combining such scores along with frailty parameters and the presence of specific organ failure, may provide a more accurate and holistic assessment of potential TAVI-related futility. The transcatheter valve technology pipeline started as simple balloon valvuloplasty for the treatment of stenotic heart valves6 and has evolved since 2002 either to repair or to replace heart valves percutaneously with multiple devices.7 In another review ‘ The transcatheter valve technology pipeline for treatment of adult valvular heart disease ’, Hans R. Figulla … [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
