Real world outcomes using 20 mm balloon expandable SAPIEN 3/ultra valves compared to larger valves (23, 26, and 29 mm)-a propensity matched analysis

Extremely Small 20-mm Versus Standard-Size Balloon-Expandable Transcatheter Heart Valves: Propensity-Matched Analysis From the OCEAN-TAVI Registry

BACKGROUND

The 20-mm balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valve (THV) represents the smallest available option for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Its current underutilization stems from concerns regarding prosthesis-patient mismatch, durability, and potential adverse outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to compare the long-term outcomes between the 20-mm balloon-expandable THVs and standard-size balloon-expandable THVs.

METHODS

Patients who underwent transfemoral TAVR with SAPIEN THVs were sourced from the OCEAN-TAVI (Optimized Transcatheter Valvular Intervention) registry, an ongoing, multicenter cohort study that has enrolled over 7,000 TAVR patients in Japan. A 1:3 propensity-matched analysis, based on 24 baseline clinical and echocardiographic variables, was used to contrast the 20-mm with >20-mm balloon-expandable THVs.

RESULTS

Of 5,086 eligible patients, 284 (5.6%) received the 20-mm balloon-expandable THV. After propensity-matching, the 20-mm THV group (n = 276) and the >20-mm THV group (n = 828) demonstrated balanced baseline characteristics, with an absolute standardized difference <0.10. The average follow-up duration for patients who were alive was 955 ± 512 days, and the average time to death was 584 ± 543 days. The 20-mm group showed a higher frequency of prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) (moderate PPM: 29.2% vs 10.8%; severe PPM: 4.9% vs 1.5%; P < 0.001). Over a 5-year period, all-cause mortality and heart failure rehospitalization rates were comparable between the 2 groups (all-cause mortality: 34.2% vs 38.0%; HR: 1.01; 95% CI: 0.74-1.37; P = 0.970; heart failure rehospitalization: 15.2% vs 16.3%; HR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.50-1.29; P = 0.371).

CONCLUSIONS

This registry-based study suggests that the initially observed inferior forward hemodynamics associated with the 20-mm THV do not translate into heightened long-term mortality or heart failure rehospitalization risks. (The OCEAN-TAVI registry [Optimized Transcatheter Valvular Intervention-Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation]; UMINID:000020423).

Redo Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement vs Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement for Degenerated Bioprosthetic Valves

BACKGROUND

Valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (ViV-TAVR) is associated with improved perioperative safety compared with redo surgical aortic valve replacement (redo-SAVR), but long-term outcomes remain uncertain. We therefore compare long-term outcomes of ViV-TAVR and redo-SAVR.

METHODS

The study included 1:1 propensity score-matched Medicare beneficiaries with degenerated bioprosthetic valves admitted between September 29, 2011, and December 30, 2020, undergoing either redo-SAVR or ViV-TAVR. Exclusion criteria included endocarditis, other concomitant cardiac surgery, and aortic valve reintervention during the same admission. The primary outcome was 5-year survival. Composite secondary outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (30-day operative mortality, stroke, or acute myocardial infarction) and major valve event-free survival (congestive heart failure readmission, endocarditis, or aortic valve reintervention). Time-to-event analyses used Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling.

RESULTS

Overall, 4699 patients, including 1775 redo-SAVR and 2924 ViV-TAVR patients, were identified. Redo-SAVR patients were younger (median [interquartile range], 72 [68-77] years vs 79 [73-84] years) with less congestive heart failure (39.6% vs 68.8%) and prior coronary artery bypass grafting (17.9% vs 32.0%; all P < .05). In the propensity score-matched cohorts of 1256 patients each, redo-SAVR had higher major adverse cardiovascular events (17.4% vs 13.1%; P = .003) but better major valve event-free (71 [62-79] months vs 43 [38-47] months; P < .001) and 5-year (62.3% vs 46.7%; P < .001) survival. After stratification by Charlson comorbidity index, the long-term survival benefit persisted in patients of lower (67.6% vs 54.9%; P = .001) and medium or higher risk (55.1% vs 36.7%; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Redo-SAVR may have better long-term survival than ViV-TAVR despite greater perioperative morbidity. Clinical trial data are needed to fully inform clinical decision-making about degenerated bioprosthetic valve reintervention, particularly for patients with reasonable life expectancy.

Comparison of invasive and non-invasive gradients before and after TAVI and their implications on clinical outcomes

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is recommended for treatment of high-risk aortic stenosis patients. While measuring mean transaortic valve gradient (MG) is crucial in evaluating procedural success, echocardiographic measurements often overestimate direct invasive measurements. This study aimed to examine the discordance between echocardiographic and invasive MGs in TAVI patients and assess their prognostic value on long-term outcomes. This prospective registry included consecutive TAVI patients at a tertiary university hospital. Transthoracic or transoesophageal echocardiography was performed pre-TAVI, at discharge, 1 month, 1, and 5 years with invasive MG measurements obtained peri-procedurally. The primary endpoints were 5-year all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiac events. Among 1353 patients from 2011 to 2023, non-invasive MGs exceeded invasive MGs pre- and post-implantation (43 [36, 52] mmHg vs. 40 [30, 50] mmHg, p < 0.001; 9 [6, 12] mmHg vs. 4 [2, 7] mmHg, p < 0.001) Pre-procedural MGs correlated better than post-procedural MGs (r = 0.70, p < 0.001 vs. r = 0.23, p < 0.001), particularly in self-expandable valves and smaller sinus of Valsalva diameter (SOVd) (r = 0.33, p < 0.001; r = 0.46, p < 0.001 vs R = 0.06, p = 0.701). Non-invasive MG remained stable from discharge (9 [6, 12] mmHg) to 5 years (9 [7, 12] mmHg). While structural valve deterioration and patient-prosthesis mismatch showed no impact, extreme invasive MGs (< 3 or > 6 mmHg) predicted worse outcomes (mortality hazard: 1.25 [1.06, 1.88] and 0.85 [0.8, 0.95], respectively), unlike non-invasive measurements. In conclusion, invasive as compared with non-invasive MGs correlated better before than after valve implantation, whereas invasive MGs were always lower than non-invasive MGs. Lower invasive MGs after TAVI appeared to be associated with favourable long-term outcomes.

3-Year Outcomes of Balloon-Expandable Valves: 20-mm vs Larger Valves (≥23 mm)

BACKGROUND

A prior Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT (Transcatheter Valve Therapy) Registry-based analysis reported similar 1-year clinical outcomes with small (20-mm) vs large (≥23-mm) balloon-expandable valves (BEV).

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to describe mid-term 3-year clinical outcomes for small vs large BEV and the relationship between discharge echocardiographic mean gradient (MG) and different definitions of prothesis-patient mismatch (PPM) with clinical outcomes.

METHODS

Using the TVT Registry with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services linkage, a propensity-matched analysis of patients receiving 20- vs ≥23-mm BEVs was performed. Spline curves and Kaplan-Meier plots with adjusted HRs determined the relationship between MG and 3-year mortality.

RESULTS

In total, 316,091 patients were analyzed; after propensity matching, 8,100 pairs of each group were compared. The 20-mm BEV was associated with higher MGs compared with ≥23-mm BEVs (16.2 ± 7.2 mm Hg vs 11.8 ± 5.7 mm Hg; P < 0.0001). At 3 years, there was no difference in mortality between 20- and ≥23-mm BEVs (31.5% vs 32.5%, respectively; HR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.90-1.05). Compared with an MG of 10 to 30 mm Hg, an MG <10 mm Hg (HR: 1.25; 95% CI:1.22-1.27) was associated with increased 3-year mortality. Measured severe PPM and predicted no PPM were associated with increased 3-year mortality (33.5% vs 32.9% vs 32.1%; P < 0.0001) and (33.5% vs 31.1% vs 30%; P < 0.0001), respectively. Low MG and severe measured PPM were associated with lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with small-prosthesis BEVs (20 mm) had identical 3-year survival as those with larger (≥23-mm) BEV valves. Severe measured PPM and low MG (<10 mm Hg), but not predicted severe PPM, were associated with lower LVEF and increased mortality, suggesting that LVEF is the culprit for worse outcomes.

Real-World Outcomes for the Fifth-Generation Balloon Expandable Transcatheter Heart Valve in the United States

BACKGROUND

The fifth-generation SAPIEN 3 Ultra Resilia valve (S3UR) incorporates several design changes as compared with its predecessors, the SAPIEN 3 (S3) and SAPIEN 3 Ultra (S3U) valves, including bovine leaflets treated with a novel process intended to reduce structural valve deterioration via calcification, as well as a taller external skirt on the 29-mm valve size to reduce paravalvular leak (PVL). The clinical performance of S3UR compared with S3 and S3U in a large patient population has not been previously reported.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to compare S3UR to S3/S3U for procedural, in-hospital, and 30-day clinical and echocardiographic outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

METHODS

Patients enrolled in the STS/ACC TVT (Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy) Registry between January 1, 2021, and June 30, 2023, who underwent TAVR with S3UR or S3U/S3 valve platforms were propensity-matched and evaluated for procedural, in-hospital, and 30-day clinical and echocardiographic outcomes.

RESULTS

10,314 S3UR patients were propensity matched with 10,314 patients among 150,539 S3U/S3 patients. At 30 days, there were no statistically significant differences in death, stroke, or bleeding, but a numerically higher hospital readmission rate in the S3UR cohort (8.5% vs 7.7%; P = 0.04). At discharge, S3UR patients exhibited significantly lower mean gradients (9.2 ± 4.6 mm Hg vs 12.0 ± 5.7 mm Hg; P < 0.0001) and larger aortic valve area (2.1 ± 0.7 cm2 vs 1.9 ± 0.6 cm2; P < 0.0001) than patients treated with S3/S3U. The 29-mm valve size exhibited significant reduction in mild PVL (5.3% vs 9.4%; P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

S3UR TAVR is associated with lower mean gradients and lower rates of PVL than earlier generations of balloon expandable transcatheter heart valve platforms.

Prosthesis-patient mismatch after transcatheter implantation of contemporary balloon-expandable and self-expandable valves in small aortic annuli

BACKGROUND

Evidence of clinical impact of PPM after TAVI is conflicting and might vary according to the type of valve implanted.

AIMS

To assess the clinical impact of prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with balloon-expandable (BEV) and self-expandable valves (SEV) in patients with small annuli.

METHODS

TAVI-SMALL 2 enrolled 628 patients in an international retrospective registry, which included patients with severe aortic stenosis and small annuli (annular perimeter <72 mm or area <400 mm2 ) treated with transfemoral TAVI at 16 high-volume centers between 2011 and 2020. Analyses were performed comparing patients with less than moderate (n = 452), moderate (n = 138), and severe PPM (n = 38). Primary endpoint was incidence of all-cause mortality. Predictors of all-cause mortality and PPM were investigated.

RESULTS

At a median follow-up of 380 days (interquartile range: 210-709 days), patients with severe PPM, but not moderate PPM, had an increased risk of all-cause mortality when compared with less than moderate PPM (log-rank p = 0.046). Severe PPM predicted all-cause mortality in patients with BEV (hazard ratio [HR]: 5.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27-21.2) and intra-annular valves (IAVs, HR: 4.23, 95% CI: 1.28-14.02), and it did so with borderline significance in the overall population (HR: 2.89, 95% CI: 0.95-8.79). Supra-annular valve (SAV) implantation was the only predictor of severe PPM (odds ratio: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.13-0.83).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with small aortic annuli and severe PPM after TAVI have an increased risk of all-cause mortality at early term follow-up, especially after IAV or BEV implantation. TAVI with SAV protected from severe PPM.

Three-Year Outcomes of Balloon-Expandable Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation According to Annular Size

Data on the association between annular size and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) outcomes beyond 1 year are limited. The present study assessed the association between the aortic annulus size and TAVI clinical and hemodynamic outcomes at 3 years of follow-up. Patients were classified according to the aortic annulus size as having small, intermediate, and large annuli (size <400, 400 to 574, and ≥575 mm², respectively). The co-primary endpoints were all-cause mortality and heart failure hospitalization. Further, the changes in hemodynamic outcomes over the follow-up period (median 37, interquartile range: 26 to 45 months) were assessed. The present analysis included 850 patients, with 182 patients (21.4%), 538 patients (63.3%), and 130 patients (15.3%) in the small, intermediate, and large-sized aortic annulus groups, respectively. The groups had comparable age and pre-TAVI pressure gradients; however, patients with small annuli had higher Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk scores. Adjusted Cox regression analysis showed that compared to patients with intermediate-sized annuli, patients with small and large annuli had similar all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72 to 1.69 and HR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.16, respectively) and heart failure hospitalization rates (HR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.55 to 1.69 and HR = 1.26, 95% CI 0.73 to 2.17, respectively). However, patients with small annuli had consistently higher mean and peak pressure gradients and a higher risk of patient-prosthesis mismatch. The risks of moderate-to-severe regurgitation and structural valve deterioration were similar between the three groups. In conclusion, although patients with small annuli had higher transvalvular gradients, there was no significant association between the aortic annulus size and TAVI clinical outcomes at 3 years of follow-up. Future studies should compare the performance of transcatheter valve types in patients with different aortic annulus sizes.

Transvalvular Pressure Gradients and All-Cause Mortality Following TAVR: A Multicenter Echocardiographic and Invasive Registry

BACKGROUND

Low ejection fraction (EF) and low flow as determined by an echocardiographic stroke volume index (SVi) <35 mL/m² are associated with low transvalvular gradients and increased mortality in both severe aortic stenosis (AS) and post-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Absence of an elevated echocardiographic transaortic gradient post-TAVR is considered a marker of procedural success despite the absence of data on its impact on mortality.

OBJECTIVES

The authors sought to examine the association of invasive and echocardiographic gradients post-TAVR with all-cause mortality in relation to flow and EF.

METHODS

In a multicenter retrospective registry of patients undergoing TAVR, Cox models with regression splines explored the relationship between invasive and echocardiographic gradients post-TAVR with 2-year mortality. An invasive gradient <5 mm Hg was considered low, between ≥5 and <10 mm Hg was considered intermediate, and ≥10 mm Hg was considered high. An echocardiographic gradient <10 mm Hg was considered low, ≥10 and <20 mm Hg was considered intermediate, and ≥20 mm Hg was considered high.

RESULTS

Higher mortality occurred in low echocardiographic gradients at discharge relative to intermediate gradients (P < 0.001), and low gradient was associated with lower EF and echocardiographic SVi (P < 0.001 and P < 0.008, respectively). Lower mortality occurred in low invasive gradients relative to intermediate gradients (P = 0.012) with no difference in EF and echocardiographic SVi between groups (P = 0.089 and P = 0.947, respectively). There were insufficient observations to determine the impact of high echocardiographic and invasive gradients on mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

In this large retrospective analysis, the impact of transaortic gradients on mortality after TAVR was not linear and complex, showing opposite results among echocardiographic and invasive measurements in low-gradient patients.

Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Hemodynamics: Definitions, Outcomes, and Evidence Gaps: JACC State-of-the-Art Review

A virtual workshop was organized by the Heart Valve Collaboratory to identify areas of expert consensus, areas of disagreement, and evidence gaps related to bioprosthetic aortic valve hemodynamics. Impaired functional performance of bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement is associated with adverse patient outcomes; however, this assessment is complicated by the lack of standardization for labelling, definitions, and measurement techniques, both after surgical and transcatheter valve replacement. Echocardiography remains the standard assessment methodology because of its ease of performance, widespread availability, ability to do serial measurements over time, and correlation with outcomes. Management of a high gradient after replacement requires integration of the patient's clinical status, physical examination, and multimodality imaging in addition to shared patient decisions regarding treatment options. Future priorities that are underway include efforts to standardize prosthesis sizing and labelling for both surgical and transcatheter valves as well as trials to characterize the consequences of adverse hemodynamics.

2-Year Outcomes After Transcatheter Versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Low-Risk Patients

BACKGROUND

The Evolut Low Risk Trial (Medtronic Evolut Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Low Risk Patients) showed that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with a supra-annular, self-expanding valve was noninferior to surgery for the primary endpoint of all-cause mortality or disabling stroke at 2 years. This finding was based on a Bayesian analysis performed after 850 patients had reached 1 year of follow-up.

OBJECTIVES

The goal of this study was to report the full 2-year clinical and echocardiographic outcomes for patients enrolled in the Evolut Low Risk Trial.

METHODS

A total of 1,414 low-surgical risk patients with severe aortic stenosis were randomized to receive TAVR or surgical AVR. An independent clinical events committee adjudicated adverse events, and a central echocardiographic core laboratory assessed hemodynamic endpoints.

RESULTS

An attempted implant was performed in 730 TAVR and 684 surgical patients from March 2016 to May 2019. The Kaplan-Meier rates for the complete 2-year primary endpoint of death or disabling stroke were 4.3% in the TAVR group and 6.3% in the surgery group (P = 0.084). These rates were comparable to the interim Bayesian rates of 5.3% with TAVR and 6.7% with surgery (difference: -1.4%; 95% Bayesian credible interval: -4.9% to 2.1%). All-cause mortality rates were 3.5% vs 4.4% (P = 0.366), and disabling stroke rates were 1.5% vs 2.7% (P = 0.119), respectively. Between years 1 and 2, there was no convergence of the primary outcome curves.

CONCLUSIONS

The complete 2-year follow-up from the Evolut Low Risk Trial found that TAVR is noninferior to surgery for the primary endpoint of all-cause mortality or disabling stroke, with event rates that were slightly better than those predicted by using the Bayesian analysis. (Medtronic Evolut Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Low Risk Patients [Evolut Low Risk Trial]; NCT02701283).