The Latin American Society of Interventional Cardiology is proud to share the Latin American Clinical Guidelines on TAVR vs. SAVR in patients with severe aortic stenosis. This high quality scientific work was published in the Heart BMJ Journal, and was the result of an arduous joint effort between SOLACI (through its Research Department, SOLACI Research) and the Interamerican Society of Cardiology (SIAC).

The new clinical guidelines are of great relevance because they provide plenty of information to guide the decision between transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients with severe aortic stenosis in Latin America.

One of the most important conclusions of this research is the recommendation to perform TAVR instead of SAVR in patients >75 years of age with severe aortic stenosis who live in Latin America and who are candidates for a transfemoral approach. This recommendation is based on a moderate level of evidence and is conditional—i.e., in some cases, surgery may be a better option.

The research process included forming an expert panel that selected and ranked the results, and then evaluated the research summaries to develop the recommendations. This panel consisted of interventional cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, and patients.

Furthermore, the research methods team included professionals with experience in the GRADE protocol, and experts in the field with ample knowledge of TAVR and clinical research.