Impact of Mitral Stenosis on Survival in Patients Undergoing Isolated Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Mitral regurgitation carries greater prognostic significance than mitral stenosis in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement

AIMS

This study assessed the outcomes of concomitant mitral valve disease and severe aortic stenosis in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

METHODS

Echocardiographic data of 813 patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transfemoral TAVR were collected, and clinical outcomes were analyzed for individuals with mitral stenosis and mitral regurgitation.

RESULTS

The final cohort includes 788 patients with severe calcific aortic stenosis. Among single parameters of mitral stenosis, a smaller baseline mitral valve area (MVA) by the continuity equation and higher postprocedural mean mitral gradients (MMG) were associated with an increased risk of death at 1 year (P-values 0.02 and <0.01, respectively), but no correlation with outcomes was demonstrated after multivariate adjustment for major prognosticators. Mitral stenosis (based on MVA + MMG) was not associated with complications or mortality. Mitral regurgitation was present in 94.6% of the population at baseline and regressed by at least one grade post-TAVR in 28% of the patients. The improvement in mitral regurgitation was associated with a greater prosthetic effective orifice area (P-value 0.03). Significant (at least moderate) residual mitral regurgitation was correlated with short-term complications and shown to be an independent predictor of 1-year mortality (P-value 0.02, odds ratio (OR) 5.37, confidence interval 1.34-21.5).

CONCLUSION

Mitral regurgitation has a greater impact on TAVR patients than mitral stenosis as assessed by functional methods.

Hemodynamic implications of mitral annular calcification in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation for severe aortic stenosis

PURPOSES

Predicting hemodynamic changes of stenotic mitral valve (MV) lesions with mitral annular calcification (MAC) following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) may inform clinical decision-making. This study aimed to investigate the association between the MAC severity quantified by computed tomography (CT) and changes in mean transmitral gradient (mTMG), mitral valve area (MVA) and stroke volume index (SVi) following TAVI.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A total of 708 patients (median age 81, 52% male) with severe aortic stenosis (AS) underwent pre-procedural CT and pre- and post-TAVI transthoracic echocardiography. According to the classification of MAC severity determined by CT, 299 (42.2%) patients had no MAC, 229 (32.3%) mild MAC, 102 (14.4%) moderate MAC, and 78 (11.0%) severe MAC. After adjusting for age and sex, there was no significant change in mTMG following TAVI (Δ mTMG = 0.07 mmHg, 95% CI -0.10 to 0.23, P = 0.92) for patients with no MAC. In contrast, patients with mild MAC (Δ mTMG = 0.21 mmHg, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.40, P = 0.018), moderate MAC (Δ mTMG = 0.31 mmHg, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.60, P = 0.019) and severe MAC (Δ mTMG = 0.43 mmHg, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.76, P = 0.0012) had significant increases in mTMG following TAVI, with greater changes associated with increasing MAC severity. In contrast, there was no significant change in MVA or SVi following TAVI.

CONCLUSION

In patients with severe AS undergoing TAVI, MAC severity was associated with greater increases in post-procedural mTMG whereas MVA or SVi remained unchanged. MAC severity should be considered for potential subsequent MV interventions if TAVI does not improve symptoms.

Mitral Valve Replacement for Mitral Stenosis Secondary to Massive Mitral Annular Calcium

Mitral annular calcium (MAC) may produce mitral stenosis (MS) if its quantity is massive. We define massive MAC as the presence of a huge quantity of calcium underlying the posterior mitral leaflet and extending across all or nearly all of the ventricular aspect of the anterior mitral leaflet. This report was prompted to emphasize the hazards of performing mitral valve replacement in patients with MS secondary to massive MAC. The clinical data and morphology of the operatively excised mitral valves from the 11 patients who had mitral valve replacement for MS secondary to massive MAC are described. Of the 11 patients, 6 died postoperatively, 5 of whom had 4+/4+ MAC. The high mortality in these patients suggests that the decision to perform mitral valve replacement needs to be carefully considered if the quantity of MAC is massive.

Evaluating the effect of multivalvular disease on mortality after transcatheter aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis: a meta-analysis and systematic review

Aims: To determine the prognosis of multivalvular disease in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe aortic stenosis. Methods: Patients undergoing TAVR for aortic stenosis with covariate-adjusted risk of mortality associated with concomitant valve disease (mitral regurgitation [MR], mitral stenosis [MS] or tricuspid regurgitation [TR]) were included. Results: Moderate-to-severe MR was associated with increased mortality at 30 days (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.11-2.30; p = 0.01) and 1 year (HR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.22-2.87; p = 0.004). The presence of all-grade MS did not impact 30-day or 1-year mortality (HR, 30 days: 1.60; 95% CI: 0.71-3.63; p = 0.26; and HR, 1 year: 1.90; 95% CI: 0.98-3.69; p = 0.06); however, an increased risk of 1-year mortality (HR: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.03-2.70; p = 0.04) was observed with severe MS compared with no MS. Moderate-to-severe TR had a higher risk of all-cause mortality at 1 year (HR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.24-1.78; p < 0.001) compared with no or mild TR. Conclusion: Moderate-to-severe MR or TR, and severe MS, significantly increase mid-term mortality after TAVR.

Impact of Mitral Annular Calcium and Mitral Stenosis on Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Mitral annular calcium (MAC) is a common finding in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and may be associated with mitral stenosis (MAC-MS). Their impact on post-TAVI outcomes remains controversial. We sought to assess the impact of MAC and MAC-MS on clinical outcomes following TAVI. We included 1,177 patients who consecutively underwent TAVI in our institution between January 2008 and May 2018. MAC diagnosis reposed on echocardiogram and computed tomography. The combination of MAC and a mean transmitral gradient ≥ 5 mmHg defined MAC-MS. The study included 1,177 patients, of whom 504 (42.8%) had MAC and 85 (7.2%) had MAC-MS. Patients with and without MAC had similar outcomes except for a higher rate of pacemaker implantation in MAC patients (adjusted HR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.03-1.69, p = 0.03). The subgroup of patients with severe MAC had similar outcomes. However, MAC-MS was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality at 30 days (adjusted HR: 2.30, 95% CI: 1.08-4.86, p = 0.03) and 1 year (adjusted HR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.04-2.89, p = 0.04). In conclusion, MAC is present in nearly half of the patients treated with TAVI but MAC-MS is far less frequent. In itself, even severe, MAC does not influence outcomes while MAC-MS is an independent predictor of all-cause 1-year mortality. Measurement of mean transmitral gradient identifies patients with MAC at high risk after TAVI.

Embedded Health Systems Science as a driver of care improvement within an integrated delivery organization

BACKGROUND

Embedded Health Systems Science (HSS) has the potential to reduce gaps between research and delivery of evidence-based medicine. Models are needed to guide the development of embedded HSS in health care delivery organizations particularly with the rise of value-based care.

METHODS

The development of HSS infrastructure at a large nonprofit health care delivery organization is described, along with an embedded HSS diabetes study to illustrate the integration of program specific data, electronic health records, and health care system data infrastructure. To compare diabetes outcomes across four evidenced-based programs, a control group was developed from EHR data using propensity score matching. Mixed effect adjusted models were used to estimate reductions in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and body weight.

RESULTS

Adjusted analyses using an EHR derived comparison group demonstrated significantly different findings than unadjusted pre to post analyses. The embedded HSS study indicates that appropriate statistical methods, staff with required expertise, and integration with health system data infrastructure are needed to develop timely and rigorous HSS outcomes that effectively improve patient care.

CONCLUSIONS

Embedded HSS has the potential to inform value-based care models and contribute to evidence-based medicine approaches that improve patient care. Although developing system wide integrated data structures and staff with the appropriate skills requires substantial effort, the outcome is more reliable evaluations that lead to higher quality and higher value care.

IMPLICATIONS

Health care delivery organizations can improve patient care by dedicating resources to embed HSS into its routine operations.

A meta-analysis of impact of mitral stenosis on outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether concomitant mitral stenosis (MS) impairs outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), we performed a meta-analysis of currently available evidence.

METHODS

To identify all observational comparative studies of outcomes after TAVI for AS in patients with MS vs patients with no-MS, we searched databases (MEDLINE and EMBASE) using web-based search engines (PubMed and OVID). Studies meeting the following criteria were included; the design was an observational study; the study population was patients undergoing TAVI for AS; outcomes in patients with MS were compared with those in patients with no-MS. Study-specific estimates were then pooled using inverse variance-weighted averages of logarithmic odds and hazard ratios in the random-effects model.

RESULTS

We identified six eligible studies including 111 621 patients undergoing TAVI. In pooled analyses, postprocedural incidence of ≥ moderate paravalvular aortic regurgitation (PAR) (P = .02), early all-cause mortality (P = .008), early incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) (P = .01), and midterm all-cause mortality (P = .03) after TAVI were significantly higher in patients with MS than in patients with no-MS. There were no significant differences in early incidence of stroke, major bleeding, acute kidney injury, and new permanent pacemaker implantation after TAVI between patients with MS and patients with no-MS. When the study for mitral annular calcification was excluded in the pooled analyses, no results except for MI were substantially altered but the significance for early incidence of MI disappeared (P = .10).

CONCLUSION

Postprocedural incidence of ≥ moderate PAR, early all-cause mortality, early incidence of MI, and midterm all-cause mortality after TAVI are higher in patients with MS than in patients with no-MS.