The incidence of peri-procedural transcatheter heart valve embolization and migration (TVEM) is as low as 1%. However, it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Peri-procedural TVEM is one of the most feared complication given its potential to transform the procedure into a catastrophe, but little do we know about its incidence (except for a…
Trying to Reduce Post TAVR Kidney Injury
Acute kidney injury is a common complication after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and is associated to increased mortality both short and long-term. In patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) forcing diuresis with controlled hydration has shown to reduce the incidence of acute kidney injury in nearly 50%. However, this has not been tested in…
MIDAS Strategy: Minimizing Implantat Depth According to Membranous Septum
Permanent pacemaker implantation following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) continues to be one of the most frequent complications. Even though its real impact on prognosis continues to be controversial, its impact on healthcare cost is out of the question, in addition to being uncomfortable for patients. This study, soon to be published in J Am…
TAVR Offers Better Quality of Life to Low Risk Patients
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. As we all know, TAVR is gaining ground fast in the lower risk patient population, but in addition to analyzing the most important events, researchers are increasingly looking at health status, not only at hospital level, but also after one year. This study looked into PARTNER 3 patient health status…
TCT 2019 | PCI in Stable CAD. Prior TAVR, with TAVR or Never?
Courtesy of SBHCI. This interesting study presented at TCT 2019 and simultaneously published in Am J Cardiol tells us PCI in stable coronary artery disease cannot lower risk in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Unless patients are symptomatic, most coronary artery lesions do not need revascularization according to researchers.…
TCT 2019 | PARTNER 3: Obvious Short-Term Quality of Life Improvement, but What Happens Afterwards?
Courtesy of SBHCI. Patients with severe aortic stenosis and low surgical risk showed decreased mortality, stroke, and heart failure hospitalization at one year with transcatheter aortic valve replacement compared with surgery. Improved quality of life may seem an obvious consequence, but until now that was mere speculation. This work, presented at the TCT 2019 Scientific Sessions…
TCT 2019 | PARTNER 2A at 5 Years: In Intermediate-Risk Patients, TAVR Is Still Head-to-Head with Surgery
Courtesy of the SBHCI. The 2-year results of the PARTNER 2A trial showed that transcatheter aortic valve implantation has a result similar to that of surgery in patients with aortic stenosis and intermediate surgical risk. We lacked long-term data, both clinical and related to prosthesis function. Now, at TCT 2019, researchers presented the 5-year data for this…
TCT 2019 | PORTICO: This vs. Any Other Valve Available in the Market
Courtesy of SBHCI. This work, presented at the TCT 2019 Scientific Sessions, showed the 30-day safety and 1-year efficacy of self-expanding prosthesis Portico compared with all valves approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with severe aortic stenosis and high surgical risk. Between 2014 and 2019, researchers enrolled 750 patients…
Very Encouraging Results for TAVR in Low-Risk Patients
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. About 12% of patients >75 years old have aortic stenosis. In 3%-4% of them, such disease is severe. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has already proven to be beneficial for extreme-, high-, and intermediate-risk patients. Regarding low-risk patients, we currently have different analyses; two of them are randomized and their results are…
TAVR and Pacemakers, New Strategies
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. TAVR has been shown beneficial and is constantly being advanced onto lower risk populations, but at present, it is limited (perhaps most importantly in aortic tricuspid valves) by the need for permanent pacemaker implantation (PPMI), especially when it comes to self-expandable valves, as the latest study on low risk populations…