Surgical Aortic Valve Implantation Research Articles

Prognostic Usefulness of the 6-Minute Walk Test in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis

The 6-minute walk test distance (6MWD) has been shown to predict prognosis in selected cohorts of patients with heart failure and outcomes after surgical or transcatheter aortic valve implantation (AVI) in patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS). Our objective was to evaluate the association between the 6MWD and outcome in patients with severe AS while remaining under medical treatment. In a prospective observational cohort study, a total of 149 patients diagnosed with severe AS by Doppler echocardiography underwent a 6-minute walk test. The single end point was a composite of all-cause death or hospitalization for heart failure. Patients receiving an AVI were censored from follow-up at the time of their AVI, so that only the events that occurred while the patients remained under medical treatment were included in the analysis. During follow-up (median 12.9months), the end point occurred in 65 patients (43.6%). Univariate analysis showed an association between the 6MWD and the end point (p <0.001). After adjustment for symptoms, left ventricular ejection fraction, aortic valve area, Charlson co-morbidity score, and anemia, the 6MWD independently predicted the end point (adjusted hazard ratio 0.63; 95% confidence interval 0.45 to 0.89; p= 0.010). The incidence of the composite end point was 12 per 100 patient-years in patients with a 6MWD >331m compared to 86 per 100 patient-years in those with a 6MWD ≤331m(p <0.001). In conclusion, although patients with severe AS remain under medical treatment, the 6MWD is independently associated with all-cause death or hospitalization for heart failure.

Delirium as a Predictor of Physical and Cognitive Function in Individuals Aged 80 and Older After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation or Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement.

To determine how development of delirium after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) could predict activity of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADLs (IADL) disability, cognitive function, and self-reported health in individuals aged 80 and older. Prospective cohort study. Tertiary university hospital. Individuals aged 80 and older undergoing elective SAVR or TAVI (N = 136). Delirium was assessed for 5 days using the Confusion Assessment Method. The Barthel Index, Nottingham Extended ADL Scale, and SF-12 were used to determine ADL and IADL ability and self-reported health at baseline and 1- and 6-month follow-up. Cognition was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Participants had lower IADL scores 1 month after SAVR than at baseline (baseline 58, 1 month: delirium 42, no delirium 50, P ≤ .02), but scores had returned to baseline levels at 6 months. The Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) Physical Component Summary (PCS) score was higher at 6-month follow-up (48) than at baseline (39), especially in participants who did not develop delirium (P < .001). No differences in other outcomes were found. Regression models suggest that delirium may help predict IADL disability 1 month after baseline (P ≤ .07) but does not predict large differences in ADL disability, cognitive function, or SF-12-scores. Individuals who underwent TAVI and developed delirium had lower ADL (baseline 19, 1-month 16, P < .001) and IADL (baseline 49, 1-month 40, P = .003) scores at 1-month follow-up. SF-12 PCS score (baseline 30) increased from baseline to 1- (35, P = .04) and 6- (35, P = .02) month follow-up in individuals who underwent TAVI and did not develop delirium. Delirium after TAVI predicted greater ADL and IADL disability at 1-month but not at 6-month follow-up. Individuals who develop delirium after SAVR and TAVI have poorer short-term IADL function but do not seem to have long-term reductions in physical, mental, or self-reported health.

Multimodality Imaging Strategies for the Assessment of Aortic Stenosis: Viewpoint of the Heart Valve Clinic International Database (HAVEC) Group.

Aortic stenosis is the most frequent valvular heart disease. In aortic stenosis, therapeutic decision essentially depends on symptomatic status, stenosis severity, and status of left ventricular systolic function. Surgical aortic valve replacement or transcatheter aortic valve implantation is the sole effective therapy in symptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis, whereas the management of asymptomatic patients remains controversial and is mainly based on individual risk stratification. Imaging is fundamental for the initial diagnostic work-up, follow-up, and selection of the optimal timing and type of intervention. The present review provides specific recommendations for utilization of multimodality imaging to optimize risk stratification and therapeutic decision-making processes in aortic stenosis.

Echocardiographic assessment of aortic valve annular and left ventricular outflow tract diameter in conscious and anesthetized adult sheep prior to prosthetic aortic valve implantation.

Prosthetic heart valve implantation is commonly performed in patients that have valvular heart disease. Prior to clinical evaluation of newly developed prostheses, preclinical animal studies are performed for the assessment of both acute and chronic valvular function. Commonly, one size of valve is used in these preclinical studies, which can present difficulties with the implantation procedure and assessing valve function. Due to these potential problems, we developed a preoperative screening assessment in potential ovine candidates for prosthetic aortic valve implantation. By determining if there is a correlation between conscious and anesthetized echocardiographic examinations, an improvement in surgical confidence can predict that the animal is deemed a suitable candidate for a particular size of prosthetic valve for implantation prior to subjecting the animal to anesthesia and surgery. A total of 53 crossbred sheep (Ovis aries), male and female, 10-37 months of age, weighing between 41 and 77 kg, underwent conscious echocardiography and a subset of 29 of these animals underwent echocardiographic assessment under anesthesia for a preoperative valve size comparison in these animals prior to surgical prosthetic aortic valve implantation. Using 2D echocardiographic assessment, left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) dimensions were assessed. The mean paired difference between anesthetized and conscious LVOT diameter measurement was -0.87 mm (p = 0.0066, standard deviation 1.598, 95% confidence interval, -0.4796, -0.26378, n = 29). This pilot study evaluation revealed that conscious echocardiographic assessment can play a role preoperatively in selecting potential candidates for surgical prosthetic aortic valve implantation, thereby minimizing the potential in prosthetic-native annular mismatching, which can contribute to altered LVOT function.

Sleep in octogenarians during the postoperative phase after transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement.

Background:Octogenarians with aortic stenosis are an increasing population of patients admitted for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Although adequate sleep is important after illness and surgery, it has scarcely been studied in the immediate postoperative phase.Aims:To determine and compare the nature of self-reported sleep and insomnia, and recorded sleep–wake patterns in octogenarians during the in-hospital postoperative phase after SAVR or TAVI.Methods:A prospective cohort design was used that included octogenarian patients undergoing SAVR or TAVI at a regional university hospital. Self-reports were used to document sleep and insomnia, and actigraphy was used to record sleep–wake patterns. Data were collected at baseline preoperatively, and then daily for the first five postoperative days.Results:SAVR patients experienced the most insomnia on postoperative nights later in recovery, while TAVI patients experienced the most insomnia on postoperative nights early in recovery. The median total sleep time, as measured by actigraphy, was 6.4 h, and the median sleep efficiency was 79% for the five postoperative nights, but no differences were found between SAVR and TAVI patients on this parameter. All patients slept more during daytime than at night, with SAVR patients having significantly more total sleep hours for all five days than TAVI patients (p < 0.01).Conclusion:Octogenarians with aortic stenosis had disturbed self-reported sleep, increased insomnia, and disturbed sleep–wake patterns postoperatively, resulting in more daytime sleep and inactivity. In patients undergoing SAVR or TAVI, sleep evolves differently during the in-hospital postoperative phase.

Technical Approach Determines Inflammatory Response after Surgical and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

ObjectiveTo investigate the periprocedural inflammatory response in patients with isolated aortic valve stenosis undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with different technical approaches.Material and MethodsPatients were prospectively allocated to one of the following treatments: SAVR using conventional extracorporeal circulation (CECC, n = 47) or minimized extracorporeal circulation (MECC, n = 15), or TAVI using either transapical (TA, n = 15) or transfemoral (TF, n = 24) access. Exclusion criteria included infection, pre-procedural immunosuppressive or antibiotic drug therapy and emergency indications. We investigated interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, human leukocyte antigen (HLA-DR), white blood cell count, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and soluble L-selectin (sCD62L) levels before the procedure and at 4, 24, and 48 h after aortic valve replacement. Data are presented for group interaction (p-values for inter-group comparison) as determined by the Greenhouse-Geisser correction.ResultsSAVR on CECC was associated with the highest levels of IL-8 and hs-CRP (p<0.017, and 0.007, respectively). SAVR on MECC showed the highest descent in levels of HLA-DR and sCD62L (both p<0.001) in the perioperative period. TA-TAVI showed increased intraprocedural concentration and the highest peak of IL-6 (p = 0.017). Significantly smaller changes in the inflammatory markers were observed in TF-TAVI.ConclusionSurgical and interventional approaches to aortic valve replacement result in inflammatory modulation which differs according to the invasiveness of the procedure. As expected, extracorporeal circulation is associated with the most marked pro-inflammatory activation, whereas TF-TAVI emerges as the approach with the most attenuated inflammatory response. Factors such as the pre-treatment patient condition and the extent of myocardial injury also significantly affect inflammatory biomarker patterns. Accordingly, TA-TAVI is to be classified not as an interventional but a true surgical procedure, with inflammatory biomarker profiles comparable to those found after SAVR. Our study could not establish an obvious link between the extent of the periprocedural inflammatory response and clinical outcome parameters.

Postoperative Outcomes of Surgical Sutureless Aortic Valve Replacement vs Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation for Severe Symptomatic Aortic Stenosis

Postoperative Outcomes of Surgical Sutureless Aortic Valve Replacement vs Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation for Severe Symptomatic Aortic Stenosis Jane Chung, Anastasia Postoev, Asia Filatov, Latin Ladoris, Angel Farinas, MD, Christian X Cruz Pico, MD, Angelina Postoev, MD, FACS, Christopher Ibikunle, MD, FACS, Aliu Sanni, MD Georgia Regents University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership, Athens, GA; Georgia Surgicare, Loganville, GA

Echocardiographic evaluation of cardiac function response to removal of aortic stenosis: Surgical and trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)

&lt;p&gt;Aortic stenosis (AS) is the commonest valve disease in the&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;West, with a prevalence varying between 0.02% in adults&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;under 44 years and 3-9% in those over 80 years of age &lt;span&gt;1, 2&lt;/span&gt;. The&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;disease may remain “silent” and hence unnoticed for years,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;particularly in the elderly with naturally limited exercise. With the&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;development of symptoms, patients may carry a mortality of&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;36-52%, 52-80% and 80-90% at 3, 5 and 10 years, respectively&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;if left untreated, with a potential high risk of sudden death &lt;span&gt;3&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) used to be the only&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;effective treatment for severe AS, being the second indication&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;for open heart surgery after coronary artery bypass grafting&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(CABG) &lt;span&gt;4&lt;/span&gt;. Trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;recently developed procedure which aims at non-surgical AVR&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;in patients with severe, symptomatic and calcified AS who&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;are at high surgical risk because of either poor left ventricular&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(LV) function, ejection fraction (EF) &amp;lt;50%, or other significant&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;co-morbidities e.g. age &amp;gt;80 years, previous CABG surgery and/&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;or aorta or other heart valve surgery, impaired kidney function,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or pulmonary&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;hypertension &lt;span&gt;5&lt;/span&gt;. Currently, this technique is not recommended&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;in bicuspid AS patients due to the risk of incomplete and&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;suboptimal deployment of the aortic prosthesis [6]. TAVI&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;avoids open heart surgery and hence is likely to protect&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;myocardial function. The purpose of this paper is to review the&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;echocardiographic evaluation of LV, right ventricular (RV), and&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;left atrial (LA) function response to SAVR and TAVI for AS.&lt;/p&gt;

Comparison of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement to Improve Quality of Life in Patients &gt;70 Years of Age with Severe Aortic Stenosis

Objective:Transcatheter aortic valve implantation has recently been used in the treatment of severe aortic valve stenosis, particularly in patients with high mortality and morbidity rates for open surgery. The purpose of this study was to compare quality of life in patients over 70 years of age undergoing surgical or transcatheter aortic valve implantation, before the procedure and in the early post-procedural period.Methods:Seventy-nine patients were included in the study, 38 (48.1%) male and 41 (51.9%) female. Mean age of patients was 74.3±5.2 (70-91) years. The surgical aortic valve replacement group consisted of 51 (64.6%) patients and the transcatheter aortic valve replacement group of 28 (35.4%). Quality of life data before the procedure and at the 3rd month postoperatively in patients aged 70 years and older undergoing surgical or transcatheter aortic valve implantation were assessed using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey form.Results:Positive increases in physical task difficulty (13.2±9.8 vs. 5.1±7.3) (P=0.001), emotional task difficulty (14.4±11.9 vs. 8.5±6.4) (P=0.035), and mental health (0.4±10.4 vs. 9.6±15.1) (P=0.001; P<0.01) scores in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement were significantly higher compared to the surgical aortic valve replacement group. No statistically significant difference was determined between the groups in terms of pain, vitality, social function, physical function or general health scores in the preoperative and postoperative periods.Conclusion:The positive increase in quality of life parameters in the transcatheter aortic valve implantation group at the 3rd month postoperatively was significantly higher compared to the surgical aortic valve replacement group.

Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) as a bridge to aortic valve replacement in cancer patients who require urgent non-cardiac surgery.

BackgroundBalloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) is a percutaneous treatment option for severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis. Due to early restenosis and failure to improve long term survival, BAV is considered a palliative measure in patients who are not suitable for open heart surgery due to increased perioperative risk. BAV can be used also as a bridge to surgical or transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in haemodinamically unstable patients or in patients who require urgent major non-cardiac surgery.Patients and methods.We reported on 6 oncologic patients with severe aortic stenosis that required a major abdominal and gynaecological surgery. In 5 cases we performed BAV procedure alone; in one patient with concomitant coronary artery disease we combined BAV and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).ResultsWith angioplasty and BAV we achieved a good coronary artery flow and an increase in aortic valve area without any periprocedural complications. After the successful procedure, we observed a hemodynamic and symptomatic improvement. As a consequence the operative risk for non-cardiac surgery decreased and the surgical treatment of cancer was done without complications in all the 6 cases.ConclusionsBAV can be utilized as a part of a complex therapy in severe aortic stenosis aimed to improve the quality of life, decrease the surgical risk for major non-cardiac surgery or as a bridge to surgical or transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Balloon aortic valvuloplasty of severe aortic stenosis in the era of TAVR

Introduction. Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) is a percutaneous treatment option for aortic stenosis (AS). Because of early restenosis and poor long-term survival, it is used as a bridge to surgery (SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), in hemodinamically unstable patients or patients that require urgent non-cardiac surgery. Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate all the BAV procedures performed in our centre in 2010 and to report our experience with BAV as a potential bridge to definitive therapy or as a palliative treatment. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed all the patients who underwent percutaneous treatment of aortic stenosis in our institution between January and December 2010. We stratified our cohort into 3 groups: BAV as a bridge to TAVR or SAVR, BAV as a final therapy and TAVR without prior BAV. We evaluated patient characteristics, echocardiographic data and peri-procedural complications in each cohort. Survival was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results. We included 86 high risk symptomatic patients with mean age of 82.2 ± 5.0 years and mean logistic EuroSCORE of 19.2 ± 11.8 %. After BAV we observed a significant decrease in mean transvalvular gradient (from 43.8 ± 14.4 to 33.5 ± 12.3 mmHg; p < 0.01) and a significant increase in aortic valve area after BAV (from 0.6 ± 0.2 to 0.8 ± 0.3 cm2; p < 0.01). Systolic pulmonary artery pressure, left ventricular ejection fraction and mitral regurgitation did not change significantly. Major intrahospital complications occurred in 5 patients (6.5 %), without any death related to the procedure. BAV as a bridge to TAVR had a better outcome compared with BAV alone. Conclusion. BAV is a feasible and reasonably safe approach for temporary relief of symptoms, improvement of quality of life, decrease of surgical risk prior major non-cardiac surgery or as a bridge to surgical or transcatheter aortic valve implantation in severe aortic stenosis.

Aortic stenosis: right and left ventricular function in the early postprocedural phase. Comparison between transcatheter and surgical aortic valve implantation

Background While impact of surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) on the function of the right and left ventricle (RV, LV) has been studied extensively, the objective of this study was to compare the two diff erent transcatheter approaches, transfemoral vs. transapical aortic valve implantation (tf-AVI, ta-AVI) and SAVR with respect to postoperative recovery of RV and LV function in patients with severe aortic stenosis.Methods and results Conventional echocardiographic studies were performed before and after the procedure (< 8 days) in 74 consecutive patients undergoing tf-AVI, 88 with ta-AVI and 63 surgically treated patients. Post procedure, a marked deterioration in the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) was seen after SAVR (23.7 ± 4 mm vs. 15.6 ± 2.9 mm, P > 0.001) and ta-AVI (21.1 ± 4.7 mm vs. 19.1 ± 4.7 mm, P = 0.02), while TAPSE remained unchanged in the tf-AVI group (21.7 ± 5 mm vs. 22.1 ± 4.9 mm, P = 0.38). Additionally, a signifi cant drop of the visually estimated right ventricular ejection fraction in the SAVR and ta-AVI group compared to tf-AVI could be seen (P < 0.001, P = 0.003, respectively)Among patients with a pre-existing reduced LV-function, despite similar baseline LVEF (38.5 ± 7.1% vs. 37.4 ± 5.6, P = 0.8), tf-AVI patients had better recovery of LVEF compared with ta-AVI (ΔLVEF 7.2 ± 8% vs. 1.6 ± 9.3%, P = 0.038).Conclusion Our study underlines the less invasive nature of tf-AVI, causing less intraoperative trauma and pericardial adhesions to the heart. Given that acute RV failure after cardiac surgery remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, the results of the present study suggest that in high-risk patients, TAVI and in particular tf-AVI could be favoured over SAVR in regard to a RV dysfunction.

The revised EuroSCORE II for the prediction of mortality in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation

The assessment of procedural risk is crucial in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. Logistic EuroSCORE and STS score are currently used to estimate procedural risk and mortality for surgical and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The recently published EuroSCORE II might provide a helpful tool. The new EuroSCORE II was calculated in 206 patients undergoing transfemoral TAVI and compared to the established logistic EuroSCORE and STS mortality score. Discriminative power and calibration of each test was statistically evaluated. 30-day and 1-year mortality rates were 6.8 % (14/206) and 27.2 % (56/206). In-hospital mortality rate was 29.2 ± 17.8 % with logistic EuroSCORE, 9.5 ± 6.8 % with STS score, and 9.22 ± 7.12 % with EuroSCORE II: Logistic EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II were significantly increased in non-survivors compared to survivors at 30 days and at 1 year. EuroSCORE II and STS score (r = 0.49, p < 0.001) showed moderate correlation, whereas strong correlation was found between EuroSCORE II and logistic EuroSCORE (r = 0.71, p < 0.001). ROC curve analyses for the prediction of 30-day mortality (AUC 0.79 vs. 0.69 vs. 0.71) and 1-year mortality (AUC 0.72 vs. 0.70 vs. 0.70) were performed. Statistical comparison revealed no difference between the AUCs (p > 0.05). In percutaneous TAVI patients, 30-day mortality was best approximated by the new EuroSCORE II, whereas the logistic EuroSCORE best reflected 1-year mortality. However, EuroSCORE II does not provide additional prognostic information beyond the established logistic EuroSCORE. For more exact risk prediction in TAVI, a distinct TAVI risk score would be desirable.

Differences in recovery of left and right ventricular function following aortic valve interventions: A longitudinal echocardiographic study in patients undergoing surgical, transapical or transfemoral aortic valve implantation

To evaluate longitudinal left and right ventricular function (LVF and RVF) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) as compared to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and LVF and RVF after TAVI by the transfemoral (TF) or transapical (TA) approach. Knowledge about differences in recovery of LVF and RVF after TAVI and SAVR is scarce. Sixty patients (age 81 ± 7 years, logistic EuroSCORE 16 ± 10%), undergoing TAVI (TF: n = 35 and TA: n = 25), were examined by echocardiography including atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPD) and peak systolic velocities (PSV) by tissue Doppler at basal RV free wall, LV lateral wall and septum preprocedurally, 7 weeks and 6 months postprocedurally. Twenty-seven SAVR patients were matched to 27 TAVI patients by age, gender and LVF. Early postintervention, TAVI patients had improved longitudinal LVF. However, when analyzed separately, only TF, but not TA patients, had improved LV lateral and septal AVPD and PSV (all P ≤ 0.01). All TAVI patients, as well as the TF and TA group had unchanged longitudinal LVF between the early and late follow-ups (all P > 0.05). The SAVR group had higher septal LVF than the matched TAVI group preprocedurally, while postoperatively this difference was diminished. Longitudinal RVF was better in the TF group than in the TA group pre- and postprocedurally. Although the SAVR group had superior longitudinal RVF preoperatively, this was inferior to TAVI postoperatively. Postprocedural longitudinal LVF and RVF in patients undergoing TF-TAVI, TA-TAVI, or SAVR differ considerably. Preservation of longitudinal RVF after TAVI might influence the selection of aortic valve intervention in the future.

Prospective evaluation of clinical outcomes in all-comer high-risk patients with aortic valve stenosis undergoing medical treatment, transcatheter or surgical aortic valve implantation following heart team assessment

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been proposed as a treatment alternative for patients with aortic valve stenosis (AS) at high or prohibitive risk for surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR). We aimed to assess real-world outcomes after treatment according to the decisions of the multidisciplinary heart team. At a tertiary centre, all high-risk patients referred between 1 March 2008 and 31 October 2011 for symptomatic AS were screened and planned to undergo AVR, TAVI or medical treatment. We report clinical outcomes as defined by the Valve Academic Research Consortium. Of 163 high-risk patients, those selected for AVR had lower logistic EuroSCORE and STS scores when compared with TAVI or medical treatment (median [interquartile range] 18 [12-26]; 26 [17-36]; 21 [14-32]% (P = 0.015) and 6.5 [5.1-10.7]; 7.6 [5.8-10.5]; 7.6 [6.1-15.7]% (P = 0.056)). All-cause mortalities at 1 year in 35, 73 and 55 patients effectively undergoing AVR, TAVI and medical treatment were 20, 21 and 38%, respectively (P = 0.051). Cardiovascular death and major stroke occurred in 9, 8 and 33% (P < 0.001) and 6, 4 and 2% (P = 0.62), respectively. For patients undergoing valve implantation, device success was 91 and 92% for AVR and TAVI, respectively. The combined safety endpoint at 30 days was in favour of TAVI (29%) vs AVR (63%) (P = 0.001). In contrast, the combined efficacy endpoint at 1 year tended to be more favourable for AVR (10 vs 24% for TAVI, P = 0.12). Patients who are less suitable for AVR can be treated safely and effectively with TAVI with similar outcomes when compared with patients with a lower-risk profile undergoing AVR. Patients with TAVI or AVR have better survival than those undergoing medical treatment only.

The Year in Cardiology 2012: valvular heart disease

Growth of the ageing population, advances in imaging techniques, newly available percutaneous interventions, and emphasis on the central role of the Heart Team in risk assessment and treatment selection1 combine to place valvular heart disease (VHD) at the centre of developments in cardiovascular medicine and surgery. However, VHD is poorly researched in comparison with other areas of cardiac disease, both at a basic scientific and clinical level. Until recently, there have been virtually no randomized controlled trials and international guidelines are largely based on expert consensus. Principal limitations to quality research are the diverse nature of patients with VHD, inability to identify individuals at the earliest stages of disease, and a lack of financial support and an appropriate investigational infrastructure. Guidelines attempt to address this evidence gap and a key publication this year was the joint European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgeons (EACTS) Guidelines on the Management of VHD.2 This concise and practical document provides recommendations on patient evaluation and risk stratification for both surgical and interventional procedures, coupled with emphasis on multimodality imaging and recommendations from the European Association of Echocardiography on the quantification of valve lesions. Evidence-based implementation of surgical mitral valve repair and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) feature strongly together with emphasis on the function of the multidisciplinary Heart Team in achieving optimal outcomes for this challenging group of patients. The pathophysiology of VHD is under-investigated and predictors of disease progression in individual patients poorly understood. Good quality studies examining medical treatment options in early disease are scarce and have been negative to date. Management of asymptomatic patients is therefore challenging and the subject of continuing controversy. Novel imaging strategies examining the relative contributions of valvular calcification and inflammation suggest new therapeutic targets and a means of assessing their …

Prognostic Utility of Biomarkers in Predicting of One-Year Outcomes in Patients with Aortic Stenosis Treated with Transcatheter or Surgical Aortic Valve Implantation

ObjectivesThe aim of the work was to find biomarkers identifying patients at high risk of adverse clinical outcomes after TAVI and SAVR in addition to currently used predictive model (EuroSCORE).BackgroundThere is limited data about the role of biomarkers in predicting prognosis, especially when TAVI is available.MethodsThe multi-biomarker sub-study included 42 consecutive high-risk patients (average age 82.0 years; logistic EuroSCORE 21.0%) allocated to TAVI transfemoral and transapical using the Edwards-Sapien valve (n = 29), or SAVR with the Edwards Perimount bioprosthesis (n = 13). Standardized endpoints were prospectively followed during the 12-month follow-up.ResultsThe clinical outcomes after both TAVI and SAVR were comparable. Malondialdehyde served as the best predictor of a combined endpoint at 1 year with AUC (ROC analysis) = 0.872 for TAVI group, resp. 0.765 (p<0.05) for both TAVI and SAVR groups. Increased levels of MDA, matrix metalloproteinase 2, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP1), ferritin-reducing ability of plasma, homocysteine, cysteine and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine were all predictors of the occurrence of combined safety endpoints at 30 days (AUC 0.750–0.948; p<0.05 for all). The addition of MDA to a currently used clinical model (EuroSCORE) significantly improved prediction of a combined safety endpoint at 30 days and a combined endpoint (0–365 days) by the net reclassification improvement (NRI) and the integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) (p<0.05).Cystatin C, glutathione, cysteinylglycine, asymmetric dimethylarginine, nitrite/nitrate and MMP9 did not prove to be significant. Total of 14.3% died during 1-year follow-up.ConclusionWe identified malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress, as the most promising predictor of adverse outcomes during the 30-day and 1-year follow-up in high-risk patients with symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis treated with TAVI. The development of a clinical “TAVIscore” would be highly appreciated. Such dedicated scoring system would enable further testing of adjunctive value of various biomarkers.

Is balloon aortic valvuloplasty safe in patients with significant aortic valve regurgitation?

To assess safety and effectiveness of balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) in patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) and significant aortic regurgitation. BAV is a palliative procedure that has possibly been underused in patients with symptomatic AS not suitable for surgical aortic valve replacement or transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Significant aortic regurgitation is commonly perceived as a contraindication to BAV. Among 416 consecutive patients undergoing BAV at our Institution, 73 patients showed moderate or severe AR before the procedure. Demographics and baseline characteristics, as well as in-hospital clinical outcome, have been prospectively collected in a dedicated database. Transthoracic echocardiography was regularly performed in all patients undergoing BAV before the procedure and at hospital discharge. Patients had a high-risk profile, confirmed by advanced age (77.2 ± 11.8 years) and important comorbidity (logistic Euroscore 26.5 ± 16.3%). Advanced heart failure was present in 73.9%. Indication to BAV was cardiogenic shock in 9.6%, palliation in 31.5%, bridge in 58.9% of the patients. BAV was performed with standard retrograde approach. Aortic valve area increased from 0.62 ± 0.15 cm(2) at baseline to 0.83 ± 0.17 cm(2) before discharge (P < 0.001). The degree of AR was improved or unchanged in 65 patients (89%). In-hospital mortality was 6.9%, mainly limited to terminal patients. Symptomatic status at discharge was improved in all surviving patients. Acute AR occurred in seven patients; in five of them it was successfully resolved in the catheterization laboratory. When clinically indicated, BAV can be safely performed in patients with combined aortic stenosis and significant aortic regurgitation.

AS-039 Non-Randomised Comparison of 30-Day All-Cause Mortality after Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation for the Treatment of Severe Aortic Stenosis in High-Risk Patients: A Two-Centre Study

AS-039 Non-Randomised Comparison of 30-Day All-Cause Mortality after Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation for the Treatment of Severe Aortic Stenosis in High-Risk Patients: A Two-Centre Study

Transapikaler Aortenklappenersatz – Indikationen, Risiken und Grenzen

Calcified aortic stenosis is the predominant valve disease in the western world. Currently, surgical aortic valve replacement is the gold standard procedure for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis that can be performed with low morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of aortic stenosis increases with age, and the incidence of several comorbidities also unavoidably elevates the risk of surgical treatment. Therefore, the most adequate and gentle treatment is needed especially for this population. Since the first transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) was performed in 2002, the main implanting routes are the transfemoral, retrograde access through the common femoral artery, and the antegrade, transapical approach via anterolateral minithoracotomy. Meanwhile, TAVI has become an alternative treatment for patients who are not suitable candidates for surgical therapy in some centers.The initial clinical results are promising and have confirmed the feasibility of this technique. Due to the restricted long-term data, conventional aortic valve replacement still remains the standard for the treatment of aortic stenosis. Selection of the suitable therapy approach (surgical replacement, transfemoral or transapical aortic valve implantation) must consider each patient's specific risk profile and individual indication. Prospective, randomized trials will be necessary to assess the individual survival benefit of TAVI for various risk populations and to extend the indication.