Comparative outcomes in different aortic valve stenosis surgeries and implications of TAVR surgery for cirrhotic patients: A retrospective cohort study

Impact of TAVR on patients with severe aortic stenosis and liver cirrhosis

We sought to assess the impact of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) on patients that have both severe aortic stenosis (SAS) and liver cirrhosis on mortality at 365 days after index event. We identified 19,210 patients that met inclusion criteria using the TriNetX database, consisting of data from 58 large healthcare organizations collected between 1 January 2010 and 24 February 2022. Of those patients, 1,283 (3.2%) had SAS with liver cirrhosis that had a TAVR, and 19,210 (96.8%) had SAS with liver cirrhosis that did not have a TAVR. We analyzed the data to compare all-cause mortality at 365 days using the TriNetX web platform. In addition, we conducted propensity score matching (PSM) to reduce the effects of confounders between the two groups. Patients with SAS and liver cirrhosis that had a TAVR were older (72.4 ± 9.7 vs. 68.0 ± 11.8, P < 0.001), and they had higher rates of heart failure (71.2 vs. 34.5%, P < 0.001), coronary artery disease (72.0 vs. 31.2%, P < 0.001), diabetes (52.5 vs. 41.2%, P < 0.001), and chronic kidney disease (43.8 vs. 30.1%, P < 0.001) compared with patients with SAS and liver cirrhosis without TAVR. PSM created two well-matched cohorts of 1,269 patients each. The TAVR group had a lower mortality rate compared with the no TAVR group (22.5 vs. 34.8%, P < 0.0001) at 365 days. This was confirmed using a log-rank test. Given these data, it appears that there is a mortality benefit associated with TAVR in patients with SAS and liver cirrhosis.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Risk calculators used to predict unfavorable surgical outcomes could flag a patient as ineligible for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) based on the presence of liver cirrhosis. Our data analysis suggests that performing a TAVR to treat severe aortic stenosis in patients with liver cirrhosis could decrease their mortality risk as opposed to not performing a TAVR. Careful consideration should be given to this patient population to ensure the best quality of life and long-term outcome.

Aortic Stenosis Phenotypes and Precision Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Patients with a clinical indication for aortic valve replacement can either undergo surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI). There are many different factors that go into determining which type of replacement to undergo, including age, life expectancy, comorbidities, frailty, and patient preference. While both options offer significant benefits to patients in terms of clinical outcomes and quality of life, there is growing interest in expanding the indications for TAVI due to its minimally invasive approach. However, it is worth noting that there are several discrepancies in TAVI outcomes in regards to various endpoints, including death, stroke, and major cardiovascular events. It is unclear why these discrepancies exist, but potential explanations include the diversity of etiologies for aortic stenosis, complex patient comorbidities, and ongoing advancements in both medical therapies and devices. Of these possibilities, we propose that phenotypic variation of aortic stenosis has the most significant impact on post-TAVI clinical outcomes. Such variability in phenotypes is often due to a complex interplay between underlying comorbidities and environmental and inherent patient risk factors. However, there is growing evidence to suggest that patient genetics may also play a role in aortic stenosis pathology. As such, we propose that the selection and management of TAVI patients should emphasize a precision medicine approach.

Transcatheter interventions for valvular heart diseases in liver cirrhosis patients

There is an increasing prevalence of patients who have both liver cirrhosis (LC) and severe valvular heart disease. This combination typically poses prohibitive risk for liver transplantation. LC related malnourishment, hypoalbuminemia and hyperdynamic circulation places patients with severe LC at higher rates for significant bleeding and/or thrombosis, as well as infectious and renal complications, after either surgical or transcatheter valvular interventions. Although there remains scarce comparative evidence, the preponderance of data suggest that percutaneous strategies are preferred over surgical ones. A multidisciplinary team is ideal for identifying those patients with LC who would benefit from transcatheter valvular heart interventions.