Clinical and hemodynamic predictors of natriuretic peptide elevation among aortic valve disease patients

We investigated the relative contribution of hemodynamic and clinical factors to serum natriuretic peptide elevation in seventy-one patients with either aortic stenosis or aortic regurgitation. We found that pulmonary hypertension, heart failure and renal failure are the most powerful independent predictors of natriuretic peptide elevation in patients with aortic valve disease, irrespective of the type or severity of valvular lesion itself.

Successful percutaneous coronary intervention after implantation of a CoreValve percutaneous aortic valve

BACKGROUND: The association between aortic valve disease and coronary atherosclerosis is common. In the recent era of percutaneous aortic valve replacement (PAVR), there is little experience with coronary artery intervention after valve implantation. CASE REPORT: To our knowledge, this is the first case of successful percutaneous coronary intervention after implantation of a CoreValve percutaneous aortic valve. We report a case of a 79-year-old female patient who underwent successful coronary artery intervention few months after a CoreValve's percutaneous implantation for severe aortic valve stenosis. Verifying the position of the used wires (crossing from inside the self expanding frame) is of utmost importance before proceeding to coronary intervention. In this case, crossing the aortic valve, coronary angiography, and multivessel stenting were successfully performed. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with previous CoreValve is feasible and safe.

Risk of acute kidney injury in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis undergoing transcatheter valve replacement

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for high-risk and inoperable patients with severe aortic stenosis is an emerging procedure in cardiovascular medicine. Little is known of the impact of TAVI on renal function. METHODS: We analysed retrospectively renal baseline characteristics and outcome in 58 patients including 2 patients on chronic haemodialysis undergoing TAVI at our institution. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was defined according to the RIFLE classification. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis not considered suitable for conventional surgical valve replacement with a mean age of 83 +/- 5 years underwent TAVI. Two patients died during transfemoral valve implantation and two patients in the first month after TAVI resulting in a 30-day mortality of 6.9%. Vascular access was transfemoral in 46 patients and transapical in 12. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) increased in 30 patients (56%). Fifteen patients (28%) developed AKI, of which four patients had to be dialyzed temporarily and one remained on chronic renal replacement therapy. Risk factors for AKI comprised, among others, transapical access, number of blood transfusions, postinterventional thrombocytopaenia and severe inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). CONCLUSIONS: TAVI is feasible in patients with a high burden of comorbidities and in patients with pre-existing end-stage renal disease who would be otherwise not considered as candidates for conventional aortic valve replacement. Although GFR improved in more than half of the patients, this benefit was associated with a risk of postinterventional AKI. Future investigations should define preventive measures of peri-procedural kidney injury.

A comparison of patient characteristics and 30-day mortality outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation and surgical aortic valve replacement for the treatment of aortic stenosis: a two-centre study

AIMS: It is unclear whether transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) addresses an unmet clinical need for those currently rejected for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and whether there is a subgroup of high-risk patients benefiting more from TAVI compared to SAVR. In this two-centre, prospective cohort study, we compared baseline characteristics and 30-day mortality between TAVI and SAVR in consecutive patients undergoing invasive treatment for aortic stenosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: We pre-specified different adjustment methods to examine the effect of TAVI as compared with SAVR on overall 30-day mortality: crude univariable logistic regression analysis, multivariable analysis adjusted for baseline characteristics, analysis adjusted for propensity scores, propensity score matched analysis, and weighted analysis using the inverse probability of treatment (IPT) as weights. A total of 1,122 patients were included in the study: 114 undergoing TAVI and 1,008 patients undergoing SAVR. The crude mortality rate was greater in the TAVI group (9.6% vs. 2.3%) yielding an odds ratio [OR] of 4.57 (95%-CI 2.17-9.65). Compared to patients undergoing SAVR, patients with TAVI were older, more likely to be in NYHA class III and IV, and had a considerably higher logistic EuroSCORE and more comorbid conditions. Adjusted OR depended on the method used to control for confounding and ranged from 0.60 (0.11-3.36) to 7.57 (0.91-63.0). We examined the distribution of propensity scores and found scores to overlap sufficiently only in a narrow range. In patients with sufficient overlap of propensity scores, adjusted OR ranged from 0.35 (0.04-2.72) to 3.17 (0.31 to 31.9). In patients with insufficient overlap, we consistently found increased odds of death associated with TAVI compared with SAVR irrespective of the method used to control confounding, with adjusted OR ranging from 5.88 (0.67-51.8) to 25.7 (0.88-750). Approximately one third of patients undergoing TAVI were found to be potentially eligible for a randomised comparison of TAVI versus SAVR. CONCLUSIONS: Both measured and unmeasured confounding limit the conclusions that can be drawn from observational comparisons of TAVI versus SAVR. Our study indicates that TAVI could be associated with either substantial benefits or harms. Randomised comparisons of TAVI versus SAVR are warranted.

Valved stents for transapical pulmonary valve replacement

OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary valve insufficiency remains a leading cause for reoperations in congenital cardiac surgery. The current percutaneous approach is limited by the size of the access vessel and variable right ventricular outflow tract morphology. This study assesses the feasibility of transapical pulmonary valve replacement based on a new valved stent construction concept. METHODS: A new valved stent design was implanted off-pump under continuous intracardiac echocardiographic and fluoroscopic guidance into the native right ventricular outflow tract in 8 pigs (48.5 +/- 6.0 kg) through the right ventricular apex, and device function was studied by using invasive and noninvasive measures. RESULTS: Procedural success was 100% at the first attempt. Procedural time was 75 +/- 15 minutes. All devices were delivered at the target site with good acute valve function. No valved stents dislodged. No animal had significant regurgitation or paravalvular leaking on intracardiac echocardiographic analysis. All animals had a competent tricuspid valve and no signs of right ventricular dysfunction. The planimetric valve orifice was 2.85 +/- 0.32 cm(2). No damage to the pulmonary artery or structural defect of the valved stents was found at necropsy. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the feasibility of direct access valve replacement through the transapical procedure for replacement of the pulmonary valve, as well as validity of the new valved stent design concept. The transapical procedure is targeting a broader patient pool, including the very young and the adult patient. The device design might not be restricted to failing conduits only and could allow for implantation in a larger patient population, including those with native right ventricular outflow tract configurations.

Prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by a Pasteurella dagmatis-like isolate originating from a patient's cat

Pasteurella species are part of the oral flora of cats and dogs. In humans, they are frequently found in infected animal bite wounds, but invasive infections are rare. This is the first report of prosthetic-valve endocarditis with a Pasteurella dagmatis-like species, which originated from the patient's cat.

Impact of B-type natriuretic peptide on short-term clinical outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Aims: We aimed to assess the impact of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) on short-term outcomes in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Methods and results: Of 500 consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVI at our institution, we studied 340 patients who had a BNP assessment prior to TAVI. Patients were divided into tertiles - low: BNP ≤201 pg/mL (n=114), mid: BNP 202-595 pg/mL (n=113) and high: BNP ≥596 pg/mL (n=113). The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, cardiac death and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE; death, major stroke and myocardial infarction) at 30 days. Compared with low tertile, high tertile patients were at higher baseline surgical risk (STS score 5.5±3.0 vs. 7.4±4.1, p=0.002). On echocardiography, high tertile patients had smaller valve areas (0.74±0.21 vs. 0.66±0.23 cm2, p=0.008), higher left ventricular (LV) mass indices (123.40±33.66 vs. 168.22±47.96 g/m2, p<0.001) and lower LV ejection fractions (61.59±7.18 vs. 42.65±15.41%, p<0.001) as compared with low tertile patients. At 30 days, a significantly higher incidence of death (hazard ratio [HR] 7.41, p=0.001) cardiac death (HR 5.82, p=0.006) and MACCE (HR 9.04, p<0.001) was observed among high as compared to low tertile patients. Conclusions: In TAVI patients, higher BNP values at baseline are associated with an increased risk for an adverse event periprocedurally and after 30 days, respectively.

Unusual cause of myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure in a patient with prosthetic valve endocarditis

In a patient with staphylococcus lugdunensis prosthetic aortic valve endocarditis and coronary septic embolism accompanied by antero-lateral myocardial infarction, embolic material was successfully aspirated from the bifurcation of the left anterior descending coronary artery and the first diagonal branch. A good angiographic result was documented six months thereafter when the patient presented with a second complication, pulsatile compression of the left main coronary artery by an abscess cavity originating between the aortic and mitral annulus, leading to congestive heart failure. The patient underwent successful surgical replacement of the aortic valve prosthesis with concomitant patch reconstruction of the annulus as well as tricuspid annuloplasty.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in Europe: adoption trends and factors influencing device utilization

OBJECTIVES The authors sought to examine the adoption of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in Western Europe and investigate factors that may influence the heterogeneous use of this therapy. BACKGROUND Since its commercialization in 2007, the number of TAVR procedures has grown exponentially. METHODS The adoption of TAVR was investigated in 11 European countries: Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Portugal, Denmark, and Ireland. Data were collected from 2 sources: 1) lead physicians submitted nation-specific registry data; and 2) an implantation-based TAVR market tracker. Economic indexes such as healthcare expenditure per capita, sources of healthcare funding, and reimbursement strategies were correlated to TAVR use. Furthermore, we assessed the extent to which TAVR has penetrated its potential patient population. RESULTS Between 2007 and 2011, 34,317 patients underwent TAVR. Considerable variation in TAVR use existed across nations. In 2011, the number of TAVR implants per million individuals ranged from 6.1 in Portugal to 88.7 in Germany (33 ± 25). The annual number of TAVR implants performed per center across nations also varied widely (range 10 to 89). The weighted average TAVR penetration rate was low: 17.9%. Significant correlation was found between TAVR use and healthcare spending per capita (r = 0.80; p = 0.005). TAVR-specific reimbursement systems were associated with higher TAVR use than restricted systems (698 ± 232 vs. 213 ± 112 implants/million individuals ≥ 75 years; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS The authors' findings indicate that TAVR is underutilized in high and prohibitive surgical risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. National economic indexes and reimbursement strategies are closely linked with TAVR use and help explain the inequitable adoption of this therapy.

Future perspectives in transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) constitutes a relatively new treatment option for the patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. Evidence from registries and randomized control trials has underscored the value of this treatment in inoperable and high risk populations, while new developments in valve technology and TAVR enabling devices have reduced the risk of complications, simplified the procedure, and broadened the applications of this therapy. The initial promising clinical results and the potential of an effective less invasive treatment of aortic stenosis has not only created high expectations but also the need to address the pitfalls of TAVR technology. The evolving knowledge concerning the groups of patients who would benefit from this treatment, the limited long term follow-up data, the concerns about devices' long term durability, and the severity of complications remain important caveats which restrict the widespread clinical adoption of TAVR. The aim of this review article is to present the recent advances, highlight the limitations of TAVR technology, and discuss the future perspectives in this rapidly evolving field.

The 2011-12 pilot European Sentinel Registry of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: in-hospital results in 4,571 patients

AIMS The aim of this prospective multinational registry is to assess and identify predictors of in-hospital outcome and complications of contemporary TAVI practice. METHODS AND RESULTS The Transcatheter Valve Treatment Sentinel Pilot Registry is a prospective independent consecutive collection of individual patient data entered into a web-based case record form (CRF) or transferred from compatible national registries. A total of 4,571 patients underwent TAVI between January 2011 and May 2012 in 137 centres of 10 European countries. Average age was 81.4±7.1 years with equal representation of the two sexes. Logistic EuroSCORE (20.2±13.3), access site (femoral approach: 74.2%), type of anaesthesia and duration of hospital stay (9.3±8.1 days) showed wide variations among the participating countries. In-hospital mortality (7.4%), stroke (1.8%), myocardial infarction (0.9%), major vascular complications (3.1%) were similar in the SAPIEN XT and CoreValve (p=0.15). Mortality was lower in transfemoral (5.9%) than in transapical (12.8%) and other access routes (9.7%; p<0.01). Advanced age, high logistic EuroSCORE, pre-procedural ≥grade 2 mitral regurgitation and deployment failure predicted higher mortality at multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Increased operator experience and the refinement of valve types and delivery catheters may explain the lower rate of mortality, stroke and vascular complications than in historical studies and registries.