Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. The aetiology of mitral regurgitation (MR) may be divided into primary, organic or degenerative MR, and secondary or functional MR. These two present different physiopathology. The treatment strategy is different for each, and edge-to-edge treatment with Mitraclip is currently emerging as a valid alternative for high-risk patients. This study analyzed 943 patients…
Would TAVR Have a Similar Benefit in Patients with Low Flow, Low Gradient, and Preserved Ejection Fraction?
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. Patients with low-flow low-gradient severe aortic stenosis are at higher risk, but there is a low-flow low-gradient group with preserved ejection fraction. These patients present systolic and diastolic ventricular dysfunction and their progress is different than that of the high-flow high-gradient normal ventricular function group. This study analyzed 1462 patients. Among them,…
Is Hybrid Operating Room Necessary for Safe TAVR
According to this sub-study of the FRANCE TAVI registry, mortality is similar for transcatheter aortic valve replacement in hybrid operating rooms vs. conventional catheterization labs. These findings support performing TAVR in conventional cath labs, which goes hand in hand with TAVR expansion, with improved logistics and organization costs. This study compared outcomes of patients undergoing…
Promising Results for Tricuspid Repair
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is more common than we thought. Around 1.6 million people in the US and over 3 million in Europe experience significant TR. It usually has a functional cause and its negative impact on patient prognosis is strong. Its surgical treatment is challenging, and it is important that its resolution…
Lotus Returns with New Strength and the FDA Approval to Compete with Sapien3 and CoreValve Evolut R
After reports of some serious adverse events with first-generation Lotus, the device was pulled off the market—but it was not meant to be left in oblivion. Now, it is back, renewed and with the approval of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to compete directly with the two market leaders (Sapien and CoreValve),…
TAVR Learning Curve and Volume-Outcomes Relationship Plateau
Every operator keeps track of their cases. Have they reached their potential or are they still learning and improving their technique? After 1000 procedures, can we expect them to have better results than someone that has only done 500? Prior studies have reached conflictive results and consequently the relationship between learning curve and volume-outcomes remains…
Is Tricuspid Regurgitation after TAVR Significant?
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. Severe or moderate mitral regurgitation is associated to worse evolution after TAVR. However, we should not forget the tricuspid valve that, even though not extensively researched, is also associated to a negative impact in its evolution. A meta-analysis of 12 studies with a total 41485 patients was carried out. …
Kidney Insufficiency and the Risk of Developing Aortic Stenosis in the Future
Chronic kidney disease, even in moderate or severe stages before dialysis, is associated with an increased risk of aortic stenosis according to this work recently published in J Am Coll Cardiol. Both share several risk factors, something that complicates the identification of the association between these diseases due to multiple confounding variables. The study…
Modern Valves Reduce the Need for a Pacemaker
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has already demonstrated benefit for different risk groups, but one of the remaining challenges is the reduction of the need for a pacemaker, which is still high for self-expanding valves compared with expandable balloons. The study enrolled 203 patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVR with…
Subclavian and Axillary Access for TAVR: a Valid Alternative
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. The femoral approach is preferred when it comes to TAVR, but sometimes it is not viable. This is when other access sites come into play, such as the trans-subclavian/axillary (TS/TAx), the apical, transcaval, transcarotid (TC) or transaortic. At present, few studies have looked into this matter, which is why it…
Mitral Valve Repair with MirtaClip Was Feasible and Safe
Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) with MitraClip was shown feasible and safe, and therefore a viable option for symptomatic patients with severe mitral valve regurgitation of prohibitive risk. In this regard, the procedure alleviates symptoms, cardiac regurgitation and has a potential benefit on ventricular remodeling. However, many patients presented atrial fibrillation (AF) and mitral valve…