Conscious Sedation Versus General Anesthesia in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Impact of proficiency in the transcatheter aortic valve implantation procedure on clinical outcomes: a single center retrospective study

BACKGROUND

We used transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedure time to investigate the association between surgical team maturity and outcome.

METHODS

Among patients who underwent TAVI between October 2015 and November 2019, those who had Sapien™ implanted with the transfemoral artery approach were included in the analysis. We used TAVI procedure time and surgery number to draw a learning curve. Then, we divided the patients into two groups before and after the number of cases where the sigmoid curve reaches a plateau. We compared the two groups regarding the surveyed factors and investigated the correlation between the TAVI procedure time and survey factors.

RESULTS

Ninety-nine of 149 patients were analysed. The sigmoid curve had an inflection point in 23.2 cases and reached a plateau in 43.0 cases. Patients in the Late group had a shorter operating time, less contrast media, less radiation exposure, and less myocardial escape enzymes than the Early group. Surgical procedure time showed the strongest correlation with the surgical case number.

CONCLUSION

The number of cases required for surgeon proficiency for isolated Sapien™ valve implantation was 43. This number may serve as a guideline for switching the anesthesia management of TAVI from general to local anesthesia.

Sedation versus general anesthesia on all-cause mortality in patients undergoing percutaneous procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The comparison between sedation and general anesthesia (GA) in terms of all-cause mortality remains a subject of ongoing debate. The primary objective of our study was to investigate the impact of GA and sedation on all-cause mortality in order to provide clarity on this controversial topic.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted, incorporating cohort studies and RCTs about postoperative all-cause mortality. Comprehensive searches were performed in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases, with the search period extending until February 28, 2023. Two independent reviewers extracted the relevant information, including the number of deaths, survivals, and risk effect values at various time points following surgery, and these data were subsequently pooled and analyzed using a random effects model.

RESULTS

A total of 58 studies were included in the analysis, with a majority focusing on endovascular surgery. The findings of our analysis indicated that, overall, and in most subgroup analyses, sedation exhibited superiority over GA in terms of in-hospital and 30-day mortality. However, no significant difference was observed in subgroup analyses specific to cerebrovascular surgery. About 90-day mortality, the majority of studies centered around cerebrovascular surgery. Although the overall pooled results showed a difference between sedation and GA, no distinction was observed between the pooled ORs and the subgroup analyses based on RCTs and matched cohort studies. For one-year all-cause mortality, all included studies focused on cardiac and macrovascular surgery. No difference was found between the HRs and the results derived from RCTs and matched cohort studies.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggested a potential superiority of sedation over GA, particularly in the context of cardiac and macrovascular surgery, mitigating the risk of in-hospital and 30-day death. However, for the longer postoperative periods, this difference remains uncertain.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42023399151; registered 24 February 2023.

Optimizing Anesthetic Selection in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Striking a Delicate Balance between Efficacy and Minimal Intervention

Patients with severe calcific native aortic valve stenosis (AS) who require valve replacement have two options, surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). TAVR was approved in late 2011 for extremely high-risk patients and was subsequently approved for high-risk (2012), intermediate-risk (2016), and low-risk (2019) patients. In 2019, TAVR procedures surpassed SAVR procedures for the first time in the United States. The approach to anesthesia for this procedure has also evolved. Initially, general anesthesia (GA) was preferred, but currently, conscious sedation (CS) is favored. This review aims to clarify the indications and contraindications for both approaches, as well as the advantages of one approach over the other. Recent studies show that conscious sedation has better outcomes in terms of all-cause mortality, procedure complications such as stroke, myocardial infarction, infection requiring antibiotics, acute kidney injury, and the need for inotropes or vasopressors.

Does Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Reduce the Incidence of Postoperative Delirium? A Quasi-experimental Study in Older Adults Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Purpose

Postoperative delirium (POD) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is frequent in older adults and associated with multiple negative outcomes including a higher mortality. We aimed to investigate whether a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) prior to TAVI reduces the odds of POD and results in a positive change in self-care ability, intended to lay a foundation for future geriatric comanagement.

Patients and methods

We used a retrospective, single-center study with a quasi-experimental design enrolling patients aged 70 years and older undergoing CGA before elective TAVI, and a nonrandomized comparison group without preoperative CGA. Data on POD occurrence during the first 5 days after TAVI (primary outcome) and change in self-care ability index (SPI) between admission and discharge (secondary outcome) were collected from electronic health records and CGA data (exposure) by clinical assessment. To explore associations between (1) CGA and POD, and (2) CGA and SPI, multivariate logistic regression and linear regression models were applied adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and number of medications.

Results

Among 435 patients (mean age 81.0 ± 5.6 years, 43.6% women, median [IQR] SPI at baseline 40 [39, 40] points), POD incidence was 14.3% in the CGA group vs 18.8% in the non-CGA group (P 0.219). Undergoing CGA before TAVI was not associated with the odds for POD (OR: 1.15; 95%CI: 0.65-2.04) or improved SPI (P 0.073).

Conclusion

We observed no association of CGA prior to TAVI with POD incidence or postoperative self-care, highlighting the need for additional studies investigating the effect of POD preventive measures in older TAVI patients integrated into a comprehensive geriatric comanagement program.

Sedation with propofol/remifentanil versus dexmedetomidine / remifentanil for patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implant: A retrospective study between 2012 and 2019

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Percutaneous implantation of an aortic valve prosthesis is a therapeutic alternative for patients with severe aortic stenosis. The procedure is traditionally performed under general anaesthesia; however, sedation is now gaining in popularity because it reduces the need for vasoactive drugs and shortens the patient's stay in the critical care unit and on the ward. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy, safety and potential benefits of sedation with dexmedetomidine in patients undergoing percutaneous implantation of an aortic valve prosthesis in terms of haemodynamic and respiratory complications.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a retrospective study of 222 patients that had undergone percutaneous implantation of an aortic valve prosthesis between 2012 and 2019 under sedation with either dexmedetomidine plus remifentanil (DEX-RMF) or propofol plus remifentanil (PROPO-RMF). We collected data on complications, mainly haemodynamic and respiratory, during and after the procedure.

RESULTS

No significant differences were found between sedation with dexmedetomidine and propofol (in combination with remifentanil) in terms of haemodynamic stability and intraprocedural cerebral blood oxygen. In the DEX-RMF group, however, mean blood pressure, midazolam dose, and duration of anaesthesia were lower compared with the PROPO-RMF group, but the incidence of haemodynamic and respiratory complications did not differ significantly between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that sedation, particularly with adjuvant dexmedetomidine, is a valid anaesthetic techniques in percutaneous aortic valve prosthesis implantation.

Accuracy of Transcutaneous Carbon Dioxide Measurement During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Under Monitored Anesthesia Care: A Prospective Observational Study

Background Transcutaneous carbon dioxide tension (PtcCO2) measurement is a promising alternative to arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) measurement. PaCO2 measurement is invasive and intermittent, whereas PtcCO2 measurement is non-invasive and continuous. However, previous studies evaluating PtcCO2measurements did not include patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), who experience anticipated hemodynamic changes, particularly before and after valve placement. Therefore, we investigated whether PtcCO2 measurement could provide an alternative to PaCO2 measurement during transfemoral TAVR under monitored anesthesia care (MAC) with local anesthesia. Methodology We conducted a prospective observational study. We included all consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis who were scheduled to undergo a transfemoral TAVR under MAC at our institution from November 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021. During the procedures, PaCO2 and PtcCO2 were concurrently monitored six times as a reference standard and index test, respectively. PtcCO2 was monitored continuously using a non-invasive earlobe sensor. The agreement between PtcCO2 and PaCO2 measurements was assessed using the Bland-Altman method, and the 95% limits of agreement were calculated. Based on previous studies, we determined that 95% limits of agreement of ±6.0 mmHg would be clinically acceptable to define PtcCO2 as an alternative to PaCO2. Results We obtained 88 measurement pairs from 15 patients. The lower and upper 95% limits of agreement between the PtcCO2 and PaCO2 measurements were -4.22 mmHg and 6.56 mmHg, respectively. Conclusions During TAVR under MAC with local anesthesia, PtcCO2 measurement could not provide a viable alternative to PaCO2 measurement to reduce high PaCO2 events. This study focused on comparing intraoperative periods before and after valve implantation. Therefore, further investigation is warranted to assess the impact of various factors, including the prosthetic valve type and the hemodynamic effects of balloon aortic valvuloplasty, on PtcCO2 measurement in TAVR.

Results of streamlining TAVR procedure towards a minimalist approach: a single center experience in Taiwan

Trans-femoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TF-TAVR) performed under conscious sedation (LACS) is not yet become routine practice in Taiwan. We aimed to compared the results between patients received general anesthesia (GA) versus LACS. Our cohort was divided into 3 groups: initial 48 patients received TF-TAVR under routine GA (GA group), subsequent 50 patients under routine LACS (LACS group 1), and recent 125 patients under LACS (LACS group 2). The baseline, procedural characteristics and all outcomes were prospectively collected and retrospectively compared. From Sep 2010 to July 2019, a total of 223 patients were included. The procedure time (157.6 ± 39.4 min vs 131.6 ± 30.3 vs 95.2 ± 40.0, < 0.0001), contrast medium consumption (245.6 ± 92.6 ml vs 207.8 ± 77.9 vs 175.1 ± 64.6, < 0.0001), length of intensive care unit (2 [1-5] days vs 2 [1-3] vs 1 [1-1], P = 0.0001) and hospital stay (9 [7-13] days vs 8 [6-11] vs 6 [5-9], P = 0.0001) decreased significantly with LACS, combined with a trend of less hospital acquired pneumonia (12.5% vs 6.0% vs 5.6%, P = 0.427). 1-year survival rate were also different among 3 groups (83.3% vs 90.0% vs 93.6%, P = 0.053). In our single center experience, a "minimalist" approach of TF-TAVR procedure resulted in less medical resources usage, along with more favorable clinical outcomes.

Anesthetic management of Stanford type B acute aortic dissection that occurred during transcatheter aortic valve implantation under monitored anesthesia care: A case report

We report a case involving anesthetic management of Stanford type B acute aortic dissection occurred during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) under monitored anesthesia care (MAC) in a patient with aortic stenosis (AS). An 87-year-old woman was undergoing TAVI under MAC for severe AS. During the surgery, the patient suddenly moved possibly because of pain. This was followed by hemodynamic collapse. She was then transitioned to general anesthesia, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was initiated. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed a Stanford type B acute aortic dissection, which was safely managed perioperatively with appropriate interventions.

A retrospective comparative study of anesthesia with remimazolam and remifentanil versus dexmedetomidine and remifentanil for transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Remimazolam, an ultrashort-acting benzodiazepine, allows for rapid and reliable arousal. Rapid awakening using remimazolam may be beneficial in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), as it allows rapid detection of neurologic deficits. The purpose of this study was to compare arousal time and outcomes between monitored anesthesia care (MAC) with remimazolam and remifentanil and conventional MAC with dexmedetomidine, propofol, and remifentanil. This study was a single center retrospective study. All TAVR cases performed under MAC (MAC-TAVR) at our institution between 2019 and 2021 were included. Patients were classified by anesthesia method into remimazolam and dexmedetomidine groups. Among 258 MAC-TAVR patients, 253 were enrolled. After propensity score matching, 76 patients were assigned to each group. The time from end of drug-administration to arousal [20.0 (16.0, 24.0) min vs. 38.5 (30.0, 56.3) min, p < 0.0001] and the time from attempted-arousal to arousal [1.0 (1.0, 1.0) min vs. 12.5 (3.0, 26.8) min, p < 0.0001] were significantly shorter in the remimazolam group. There was no significant difference in the length of ICU stay [2.0 (2.0, 2.0) days vs. 2.0 (2.0, 2.0) days, p = 0.157] and postoperative hospital stay [6.0 (4.0, 9.0) days vs. 5.0 (4.0, 8.0) days, p = 0.262].Trial registration: Clinical trial number: R03-123, Registry URL: https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000051635 Registration number: UMIN000045195, Principal investigator's name: Atsuhiro Kitaura, Date of registration: 20 August 2021.

Association of general anesthesia exposure with risk of postoperative delirium in patients receiving transcatheter aortic valve replacement: a meta-analysis and systematic review

The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the association of general anesthesia (GA) exposure with the risk of POD in this patient population. Databases including Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to December 2022. Analysis of 17 studies published between 2015 and 2021 involving 10,678 individuals revealed an association of GA exposure with an elevated risk of POD [odd ratio (OR) = 1.846, 95% CI 1.329 to 2.563, p = 0.0003, I2 = 68.4%, 10,678 patients]. Subgroup analysis of the diagnostic methods also demonstrated a positive correlation between GA exposure and POD risk when validated methods were used for POD diagnosis (OR = 2.199, 95% CI 1.46 to 3.31, p = 0.0002). Meta-regression analyses showed no significant impact of age, male proportion, and sample size on the correlation between GA and the risk of POD. The reported overall incidence of POD from the included studies regardless of the type of anesthesia was between 0.8 and 27%. Our meta-analysis showed a pooled incidence of 10.3% (95% CI 7% to 15%). This meta-analysis suggested an association of general anesthesia with an elevated risk of postoperative delirium, implying the necessity of implementing appropriate prophylactic strategies against this complication when general anesthesia was used in this clinical setting.

German Heart Surgery Report 2022: The Annual Updated Registry of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

Based on a longtime voluntary registry, founded by the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (GSTCVS/DGTHG) in 1980, well-defined data of all cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery procedures performed in 78 German heart surgery departments during the year 2022 are analyzed. Under the decreasing interference of the worldwide coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, a total of 162,167 procedures were submitted to the registry. A total of 93,913 of these operations are summarized as heart surgery procedures in a classical sense. The unadjusted in-hospital survival rate for the 27,994 isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures (relationship on-/off-pump 3.2:1) was 97.5%. For the 38,492 isolated heart valve procedures (20,272 transcatheter interventions included) it was 96.9%, and for the registered pacemaker/implantable cardioverter-defibrillator procedures (19,531) 99.1%, respectively. Concerning short- and long-term circulatory support, a total of 2,737 extracorporeal life support/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation implantations, respectively 672 assist device implantations (L-/ R-/ BVAD, TAH) were registered. In 2022, 356 isolated heart transplantations, 228 isolated lung transplantations, and 5 combined heart-lung transplantations were performed. This annually updated registry of the GSTCVS/DGTHG represents voluntary public reporting by accumulating actual information for nearly all heart surgical procedures in Germany, constitutes advancements in heart medicine, and represents a basis for quality management for all participating institutions. In addition, the registry demonstrates that the provision of cardiac surgery in Germany is up to date, appropriate, and nationwide patient treatment is always available.

An Unexpected Free-Floating Aortic Valve Leaflet Avulsion in the Left Atrium on Transesophageal Echocardiography During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Under Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

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Aortic valve leaflet avulsion is a rare complication during TAVI.

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Avulsed leaflet traveled to the LA with ECMO flow and migrated to the aorta.

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TEE aided in timely management and helped complete the transcatheter intervention.

New Practices in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: How I Do It in 2023

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) went through a huge evolution in the last decades. Previously performed under general anesthesia, with transoperative transesophageal echocardiography guidance and using cutdown femoral artery access, the procedure has now evolved into a minimalist approach, with local anesthesia, conscious sedation, and the avoidance of invasive lines becoming the new standards. Here, we discuss the minimalist TAVI approach and how we incorporate it into our current clinical practice.

Comparison of Safety and Effectiveness of Local or General Anesthesia after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

It remains controversial to choose anesthesia for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). A meta-analysis of cohort studies was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of local anesthesia (LA) compared to general anesthesia (GA) in TAVI. All relevant studies published from 1 January 2002, to 31 June 2022, were searched in Ovid, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. A total of 34 studies involving 23,480 patients were included in the meta-analysis. TAVI with LA was associated with a significant reduction in hospital stay [WMD = −2.48, 95% CI (−2.80, −2.16), p < 0.00001], operative [WMD = −12.25, 95% CI (−13.73, −10.78), p < 0.00001] and fluoroscopy time [WMD = −3.30, 95% CI (−5.40, −1.19), p = 0.002], and an increased risk of acute kidney injury [OR = 1.31, 95% CI (1.01, 1.69), p = 0.04] and a reduced incidence of major bleeding [OR = 0.59, 95% CI (0.46, 0.75), p < 0.0001] and the use of cardiovascular drugs [OR = 0.17, 95% CI (0.05, 0.57), p = 0.004]. No differences were found between LA and GA for 30-day mortality, procedural success rate, myocardial infarction, permanent pacemaker implantation, paravalvular leak, shock, and cerebrovascular events. Overall, 4.4% of LA converted to GA. Based on current evidence, our results suggested that LA strategies reduced hospital stay, operative time, fluoroscopy time, cardiovascular drug consumption, and major bleeding rates in patients undergoing TAVI but led to increased acute kidney injury rates. Further studies and randomized trials are required to verify the presented findings and to identify patients who might benefit from LA.

Conscious sedation versus general anesthesia for transcatheter aortic valve implantation in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

INTRODUCTION

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is considered a major risk factor for postoperative complications after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). To date, there is no clear consensus on the best anesthesia management for these patients. We aimed to investigate the effects of types of anesthesia on clinical outcomes in patients with severe COPD undergoing TAVI.

METHODS

This is a single-center, retrospective study comparing conscious sedation (CS) versus general anesthesia (GA) in 72 patients with severe COPD who underwent TAVI. The primary endpoints were 30-day all-cause mortality and postoperative pulmonary complications.

RESULTS

The main outcome of interest of this study was that the frequency of pulmonary complications was statistically higher in the GA group (21.4% vs 3.3%, p = 0.038). These differences are most likely attributed to the GA because of prolonged mechanical ventilation, and longer ICU stay (2 (1.2-3) vs 2.5 (2-4) days, p = 0.029) associated with an increased risk of nosocomial infections. There were no significant differences in procedure complications and 30-day mortality between the two groups (GA; 19% vs CS; 13.3%, p = 0.521). One-year survival rates, compared by Kaplan-Meier analysis, were similar between groups (log-rank p = 0.733).

CONCLUSION

In aortic stenosis patients with severe COPD undergoing TAVI, the use of GA compared with CS was associated with higher incidences of respiratory-related complications, and longer ICU length of stay. CS is a safe and viable option for these patients and should be considered the favored approach.

The safety of early discharge following transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement under general anesthesia

Background

There is growing evidence of the safety of same-day discharge for low-risk conscious sedated TAVR patients. However, the evidence supporting the safety of early discharge following GA-TAVR with routine transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is limited.

Aims

To assess the safety of early discharge following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) using General Anesthesia (GA-TAVR) and identify predictors for patient selection.

Materials and methods

We used data from 2,447 TEE-guided GA-TAVR patients performed at Cedars-Sinai between 2016 and 2021. Patients were categorized into three groups based on the discharge time from admission: 24 h, 24–48 h, and >48 h. Predictors for 30-day outcomes (cumulative adverse events and death) were validated on a matched cohort of 24 h vs. >24 h using the bootstrap model.

Results

The >48 h group had significantly worse baseline cardiovascular profile, higher surgical risk, low functional status, and higher procedural complications than the 24 h and the 24–48 h groups. The rate of 30-day outcomes was significantly lower in the 24 h than the >48 h but did not differ from the 24–48 h (11.3 vs. 15.5 vs. 11.7%, p = 0.003 and p = 0.71, respectively). Independent poor prognostic factors of 30-day outcomes had a high STS risk of ≥8 (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.30–2.77, E-value = 3.2, P < 0.001), low left ventricle ejection fraction of <30% (OR 6.0, 95% CI 3.96–9.10, E-value = 11.5, P < 0.001), and life-threatening procedural complications (OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.20–5.89, E-value = 4.7, P = 0.04). Our formulated predictors showed a good discrimination ability for patient selection (AUC: 0.78, 95% CI 0.75–0.81).

Conclusion

Discharge within 24 h following GA-TAVR using TEE is safe for selected patients using our proposed validated predictors.

German Heart Surgery Report 2021: The Annual Updated Registry of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

Based on a longtime voluntary registry, founded by the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (GSTCVS) in 1980, well-defined data of all cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery procedures performed in 78 German heart surgery departments during the year 2021 are analyzed. Under more than extraordinary conditions of the further ongoing worldwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a total of 161,261 procedures were submitted to the registry. In total, 92,838 of these operations are summarized as heart surgery procedures in a classical sense. The unadjusted in-hospital survival rate for the 27,947 isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures (relationship on-/off-pump 3.2:1) was 97.3%. For the 36,714 isolated heart valve procedures (19,242 transcatheter interventions included) it was 96.7 and 99.0% for the registered pacemaker and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) procedures (19,490), respectively. Concerning short- and long-term circulatory support, a total of 3,404 ECLS/ECMO implantations and 750 assist device implantations (L-/ R-/ BVAD, TAH), respectively were registered. In 2021 329 isolated heart transplantations, 254 isolated lung transplantations, and one combined heart-lung transplantations were performed.This annually updated registry of the GSTCVS represents voluntary public reporting by accumulating actual information for nearly all heart surgical procedures in Germany, constitutes advancements in heart medicine and represents a basis for quality management for all participating institutions. In addition, the registry demonstrates that the provision of cardiac surgery in Germany is up to date, appropriate, and nationwide patient treatment is guaranteed all the time.

Evolução e Estado Atual das Práticas de Implante Transcateter de Válvula Aórtica na América Latina – Estudo WRITTEN LATAM

Fundamento:

Implante transcateter de valva aórtica (TAVI) é um procedimento adotado em todo o mundo e suas práticas evoluem rapidamente. Variações regionais e temporais são esperadas.

Objetivo:

Comparar a prática de TAVI na América Latina com aquela no resto do mundo e avaliar suas mudanças na América Latina de 2015 a 2020.

Método:

A pesquisa foi realizada em centros de TAVI em todo o mundo entre março e setembro de 2015, e novamente nos centros latino-americanos entre julho de 2019 e janeiro de 2020. As seguintes questões foram abordadas: i) informação geral sobre os centros; ii) avaliação pré-TAVI; iii) técnicas do procedimento; iv) conduta pós-TAVI; v) seguimento. As respostas da pesquisa dos centros latino-americanos em 2015 (LATAM15) foram comparadas àquelas dos centros no resto do mundo (WORLD15) e ainda àquelas da pesquisa dos centros latino-americanos de 2020 (LATAM20). Adotou-se o nível de significância de 5% na análise estatística.

Resultados:

250 centros participaram da pesquisa em 2015 (LATAM15=29; WORLD15=221) e 46 na avaliação LATAM20. No total, foram 73.707 procedimentos, sendo que os centros WORLD15 realizaram, em média, 6 e 3 vezes mais procedimentos do que os centros LATAM15 e LATAM20, respectivamente. Os centros latino-americanos realizaram menor número de TAVI minimalista do que os do restante do mundo, mas aumentaram significativamente os procedimentos menos invasivos após 5 anos. Quanto à assistência pós-procedimento, observaram-se menor tempo de telemetria e de manutenção do marca-passo temporário, além de menor uso de terapia dupla antiplaquetária nos centros LATAM20.

Conclusão:

A despeito do volume de procedimentos ainda significativamente menor, muitos aspectos da prática de TAVI nos centros latino-americanos evoluíram recentemente, acompanhando a tendência dos centros dos países desenvolvidos.

Local Anesthesia versus Conscious Sedation among Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation-A Propensity Score Analysis

BACKGROUND

Conscious sedation (CS) has been used successfully to treat patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and as such is considered the standard anesthesia method. The local anesthesia (LA) only approach may be feasible and safe thanks to improvements in operators' experience.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate differences between LA only versus CS approaches on short- and long-term outcomes among patients undergoing TAVI.

METHODS

We performed a propensity score analysis on 1096 patients undergoing TAVI for severe AS. Two hundred and seventy-four patients in the LA group were matched in a ratio of 1:3 with 822 patients in the CS group. The primary outcome was a 1-year mortality rate. Secondary outcomes included procedural and peri-procedural complication rates and in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

Patients in the CS group had significantly higher rates of grade 2-3 acute kidney injury and were more likely to have had new left bundle branch block and high-degree atrioventricular block. Patients who underwent TAVI under CS had significantly higher in-hospital and 1-year mortality rates compared to LA (1.6% vs. 0.0% p-value = 0.036 and 8.5% vs. 3.3% p-value = 0.004, respectively). Kaplan-Meier's survival analysis showed that the cumulative probability of 1-year mortality was significantly higher among subjects undergoing CS compared to patients LA (p-value log-rank = 0.024). Regression analysis indicated that patients undergoing CS were twice more likely to die of at 1-year when compared to patients under LA (HR 2.18, 95%CI 1.09-4.36, p-value = 0.028).

CONCLUSIONS

As compared to CS, the LA-only approach is associated with lower rates of peri-procedural complications and 1-year mortality rates.

Same-Day Discharge After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: Insights from the Nationwide Readmission Database 2015 to 2019

Background There is a paucity of data on the feasibility of same-day discharge (SDD) following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) at a national level. Methods and Results This study used data from the Nationwide Readmission Database from the fourth quarter of 2015 through 2019 and identified patients undergoing TAVI using the claim code 02RF3. A total of 158 591 weighted hospitalizations for TAVI were included in the analysis. Of the patients undergoing TAVI, 961 (0.6%) experienced SDD. Non-SDDs included 65 814 (41.5%) patients who underwent TAVI who were discharged the next day, and 91 816 (57.9%) discharged on the second or third day. The 30-day readmission rate for SDD after TAVI was similar to non-SDD TAVI (9.8% versus 8.9%, P=0.31). The cumulative incidence of 30-day readmissions for SDD was higher compared with next-day discharge (log-rank P=0.01) but comparable to second- or third-day discharge (log-rank P=0.66). At 30 days, no differences were observed in major or minor vascular complications, heart failure, or ischemic stroke for SDD compared with non-SDD. Acute kidney injury, pacemaker implantation, and bleeding complications were lower with SDD. Predictors associated with SDD included age <85 years, male sex, and prior pacemaker placement, whereas left bundle-branch block, right bundle-branch block, second-degree heart block, heart failure, prior percutaneous coronary intervention, and atrial fibrillation were negatively associated with SDD. Conclusions SDD following TAVI is associated with similar 30-day readmission and complication rates compared with non-SDD. Further prospective studies are needed to assess the safety and feasibility of SDD after TAVI.

Simplified TAVR Procedure: How Far Is It Possible to Go?

Increasing operators’ experience and improvement of the technique have resulted in a drastic reduction in complications following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with lower surgical risk. In parallel, the procedure was considerably simplified, with a routine default approach including local anesthesia in the catheterization laboratory, percutaneous femoral approach, radial artery as the secondary access, prosthesis implantation without predilatation, left ventricle wire pacing and early discharge. Thus, the “simplified” TAVR adopted in most centers nowadays is a real revolution of the technique. However, simplified TAVR must be accompanied upstream by a rigorous selection of patients who can benefit from a minimalist procedure in order to guarantee its safety. The minimalist strategy must not become dogmatic and careful pre-, per- and post-procedural evaluation of patients with well-defined protocols guarantee optimal care following TAVR. This review aims to evaluate the benefits and limits of the simplified TAVR procedure in a current and future vision.

Impact of wait times on late postprocedural mortality after successful transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Wait times are associated with mortality on waiting list for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Whether longer wait times are associated with long term mortality after successful TAVR remains unassessed. Consecutive patients successfully treated with elective TAVR in our center between January 2013 and August 2019 were included. The primary end point was one-year all-cause mortality. TAVR wait times were defined as the interval from referral date for valve replacement to the date of TAVR procedure. A total of 383 patients were included with a mean wait time of 144.2 ± 83.87 days. Death occurred in 55 patients (14.4%) at one year. Increased wait times were independently associated with a relative increase of 1-year mortality by 2% per week after referral (Adjusted Hazard Ratio 1.02 [1.002–1.04]; p = 0.02) for TAVR. Chronic kidney disease, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 30%, access site and STS score were other independent correlates of 1-year mortality. Our study shows that wait times are relatively long in routine practice and associated with increased 1-year mortality after successful TAVR. Such findings underscore the need of strategies to minimize delays in access to TAVR.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation for severe aortic stenosis in a patient with mucopolysaccharidosis type II (Hunter syndrome) accompanied by severe airway obstruction

Mucopolysaccharidosis type II, known as Hunter syndrome, is a rare inherited metabolic disorder with glycosaminoglycan accumulation leading to progressive multisystem involvement, such as heart, respiratory, and central nervous systems. In particular, concurrence of major heart and respiratory problems in this syndrome often causes difficulty in performing curative and invasive treatments. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been an established therapy for severe aortic stenosis (AS). In patients who cannot undergo surgical aortic valve replacement because of high risk for general anesthesia, TAVI with local anesthesia has become an alternative therapy for severe AS. We report herein a case of 50-year-old man with Hunter syndrome accompanied by severe airway obstruction who underwent TAVI with local anesthesia for severe AS. <Learning objective: Mucopolysaccharidosis is characterized by glycosaminoglycan accumulation leading to progressive multisystem involvement. Heart disease and respiratory problems are often concomitant in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis. When surgical treatment is required, consideration about treatment strategy and perioperative management are important because of its high surgical risk or inoperable status. We describe a case with mucopolysaccharidosis accompanied by severe airway obstruction who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation with local anesthesia for severe aortic stenosis.>.

Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale as a predictor of adverse outcomes among older adults undergoing aortic valve replacement: a protocol for a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Frailty is associated with adverse outcomes relating to cardiac procedures. It has been proposed that frailty scoring should be included in the preoperative assessment of patients undergoing aortic valve replacement. We aim to examine the Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), as a predictor of adverse outcomes following aortic valve replacement.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Prospective and retrospective cohort studies and randomised controlled trials assessing both the preoperative frailty status (as per the CFS) and incidence of adverse outcomes among older adults undergoing either surgical aortic valve replacement or transcatheter aortic valve replacement will be included. Adverse outcomes will include mortality and periprocedural complications, as well as a composite of 30-day complications. A search will be conducted from 2005 to present using a prespecified search strategy. Studies will be screened for inclusion by two reviewers, with methodological quality assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. Relative risk ratios with 95% CIs will be generated for each outcome of interest, comparing frail with non-frail groups. Data will be plotted on forest plots where applicable. The quality of the evidence will be determined using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation tool.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval is not required for this study as no primary data will be collected. We will publish the review in a peer-reviewed journal on completion.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42020213757.

"Simple" Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement With Conscious Sedation: Safety and Effectiveness in Real-World Practice

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a well-established alternative to open surgical replacement. Strictly selecting low-risk patients and using conscious sedation during TAVR has enabled hospital stays to be safely shortened. We evaluated the safety and effectiveness of a less rigorous patient-selection process involving multidisciplinary case discussions, percutaneous procedures with the use of conscious sedation, and postprocedural care outside an intensive care unit, with the goal of discharging patients from the hospital early. We call this "simple TAVR." We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who underwent TAVR from March 2015 through February 2020 at our center. The procedures were performed by 2 high-volume operators. Of 524 total procedures, 344 (65.6%) qualified as simple TAVR. All 344 procedures were successful. The highest 30-day complication rate was associated with new permanent pacemaker implantation (7.3%, 25 patients); the rates of major vascular complications, stroke, and all-cause death were less than 3% each. Of note, 252 patients (73.3%) were discharged from the hospital the day after TAVR, and 307 (89.2%) within 48 hours. Simple TAVR is safe, economical, and feasible in real-world practice, and it does not necessitate a rigorous perioperative protocol or patient-selection process.

Institutional infrastructural preconditions and current perioperative anaesthesia practice in patients undergoing transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation: a cross-sectional study in German heart centres

OBJECTIVES

Transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TF-TAVI) is an established therapy for patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis, which requires periprocedural anaesthesia care. In 2015, the German Federal Joint Committee released a directive on minimally invasive heart valve interventions which defines institutional infrastructural requirements in German heart centres. But still generally accepted expert consensus recommendations or national or international guidelines regarding periprocedural anaesthesia management for TF-TAVI are lacking. This nationwide cross-sectional study had two major objectives: first to assess the concordance with existing national regulations regarding infrastructural requirements and second to evaluate the status quo of periprocedural anaesthesia management for patients undergoing TF-TAVI in German heart centres.

DESIGN

Multicentre cross-sectional online study to evaluate the periprocedural anaesthesia management.

SETTING

In this nationwide cross-sectional study, electronic questionnaires were sent out to anaesthesia departments at TF-TAVI-performing centres in Germany in March 2019.

PARTICIPANTS

78 anaesthesia departments of German heart centres.

RESULTS

54 (69.2%) centres returned the questionnaire of which 94.4% stated to hold regular Heart Team meetings, 75.9% to have ready-to-use heart-lung machines available on-site, 77.8% to have cardiac surgeons and 66.7% to have perfusionists routinely attending throughout TF-TAVI procedures. Regarding periprocedural anaesthesia management, 41 (75.9%) of the participating centres reported to predominantly use 'monitored anaesthesia care' and 13 (24.1%) to favour general anaesthesia. 49 (90.7%) centres stated to use institutional standard operating procedures for anaesthesia. Five-lead ECG, central venous lines, capnometry and intraprocedural echocardiography were reported to be routine measures in 85.2%, 83.3%, 77.8% and 51.9% of the surveyed heart centres.

CONCLUSIONS

The concordance with national regulations, anaesthesia management and in-house standards for TF-TAVI vary broadly among German heart centres. According to the opinion of the authors, international expert consensus recommendations and/or guidelines would be helpful to standardise peri interventional anaesthesia care.

Clinical outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement in South America: A centre-level systematic review and meta-analysis of observational data

OBJECTIVES

To estimate in-hospital and 30-day outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in South America through a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational data.

METHODS

We comprehensively searched for papers published in peer-reviewed medical journals and for abstracts presented in medical conferences of the region from 1 September 2008, through 29 June 2020, using predefined criteria. We included single-centre studies on TAVR populations with ≥10 patients from South America reporting any in-hospital or 30-day clinical outcome.

RESULTS

Fifty-five cohorts from seven countries, pooling 3001 patients, were included in a random-effects meta-analysis. Self-expandable prostheses were the most frequently implanted. Pooled estimate of procedure success by VARC2 criteria was 90.0% (95%CI 81.8%-94.7%; I² 75.0%). The pooled estimate rates of the outcomes were as follow: post-procedure moderate or severe aortic regurgitation, 9.7% (95%CI 6.0%-15.4%; I² 65.4%), in-hospital cardiac tamponade, 4.0% (95%CI 2.5%-6.6%; I² 0%), in-hospital stroke, 4.1% (95%CI 2.9%-5.7%; I² 0%), in-hospital major vascular complication, 7.8% (95%CI 5.2%-11.5%; I² 22.3%), in-hospital permanent pacemaker implantation, 19.4% (95%CI 15.9%-23.4%; I² 53.8%), in-hospital mortality, 8.0% (95%CI 6.7%-9.6%; I² 0%), and 30-day mortality, 9.7% (95%CI 7.9%-11.8%; I² 26.4%).

CONCLUSION

As compared with published international registries, the overall results of TAVR in South America seemed underrated. Significant heterogeneity was observed in procedural success, pacemaker requirement, and post-procedure moderate or severe aortic regurgitation. This study provides a real-life framework for the analysis of the performance of this technology in the region, intended to be a starting point for quality improvement.

German Heart Surgery Report 2020: The Annual Updated Registry of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

Based on a longtime voluntary registry, founded by the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (GSTCVS) in 1980, well-defined data of all cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery procedures performed in 78 German heart surgery departments during the year 2020 are analyzed. Under the more than extraordinary conditions of the ongoing worldwide coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, a total of 161,817 procedures were submitted to the registry. A total of 92,809 of these operations are summarized as heart surgery procedures in a classical sense. The unadjusted in-hospital survival rate for the 29,444 isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures (relationship on-/off-pump 3.6:1) was 97.2%. For the 35,469 isolated heart valve procedures, (17,471 transcatheter interventions included), the survival rate was 96.7%. Concerning short- and long-term circulatory support, a total of 2,852 extracorporeal life support/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation implantations, respectively, 843 assist device implantations (left/right/biventricular assist device, total artificial device), were registered. In 2020, the number of isolated heart transplantations increased to 340, a rise of 2.1% compared with the previous year. The isolated lung transplantations amounted to 291, a decrease of 6.4%.This annually updated registry of the GSTCVS represents voluntary public reporting by accumulating actual information for nearly all heart surgical procedures in Germany, constitutes advancements in heart medicine, and represents a basis for quality management for all participating institutions. In addition, the registry demonstrates that the provision of cardiac surgery in Germany is up to date, appropriate, and nationwide patient treatment is guaranteed all the time.

Utilization, Costs, and Outcomes of Conscious Sedation Versus General Anesthesia for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

[Figure: see text].

Impact of Anesthesia Strategy and Valve Type on Clinical Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

BACKGROUND

The randomized SOLVE-TAVI (compariSon of secOnd-generation seLf-expandable vs. balloon-expandable Valves and gEneral vs. local anesthesia in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) trial compared newer-generation self-expanding valves (SEV) and balloon-expandable valves (BEV) as well as local anesthesia with conscious sedation (CS) and general anesthesia (GA) in patients undergoing transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Both strategies showed similar outcomes at 30 days.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to compare clinical outcomes during 1-year follow-up in the randomized SOLVE-TAVI trial.

METHODS

Using a 2 × 2 factorial design 447 intermediate- to high-risk patients with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis were randomly assigned to transfemoral TAVR using either the SEV (Evolut R, Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota) or the BEV (Sapien 3, Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California) as well as CS or GA at 7 sites.

RESULTS

In the valve-comparison strategy, rates of the combined endpoint of all-cause mortality, stroke, moderate or severe paravalvular leakage, and permanent pacemaker implantation were similar between the BEV and SEV group (n = 84, 38.3% vs. n = 87, 40.4%; hazard ratio: 0.94; 95% confidence interval: 0.70 to 1.26; p = 0.66) at 1 year. Regarding the anesthesia comparison, the combined endpoint of all-cause mortality, stroke, myocardial infarction, and acute kidney injury occurred with similar rates in the GA and CS groups (n = 61, 25.7% vs. n = 54, 23.8%; hazard ratio: 1.09; 95% confidence interval: 0.76 to 1.57; p = 0.63).

CONCLUSIONS

In intermediate- to high-risk patients undergoing transfemoral TAVR, newer-generation SEV and BEV as well as CS and GA showed similar clinical outcomes at 1 year using a combined clinical endpoint. (SecOnd-generation seLf-expandable Versus Balloon-expandable Valves and gEneral Versus Local Anesthesia in TAVI [SOLVE-TAVI]; NCT02737150).

Feasibility and safety of transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation performed with a percutaneous coronary intervention-like approach

BACKGROUND

Transfemoral percutaneous transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TF-TAVI) is a safe, reproducible and established procedure, mainly performed under local anaesthesia, which is mostly administered and monitored by a dedicated anaesthesia team (regular approach). Our centre has developed a standardized pathway of care, and eligible patients are selected for a minimalist TF-TAVI, entirely managed by operators without the presence of the anaesthesia team in the operating room, like most interventional coronary procedures ("percutaneous coronary intervention-like" approach [PCI approach]).

AIM

To compare the safety and efficacy of TF-TAVI performed with the PCI approach versus the regular approach.

METHODS

The analysis population comprised all patients who underwent TF-TAVI with the PCI or regular approach in our institution from November 2016 to July 2019. The two co-primary endpoints were early safety composite and early efficacy composite at 30days as defined by the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2. The PCI (n=137) and Regular (n=221) approaches were compared using the propensity score based method of inverse probability of treatment weighting.

RESULTS

No differences were observed after comparison of TAVI performed with the PCI or regular approach regarding the composite safety endpoint (7.3% vs. 11.3%; odds ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.37 to 1.07; P=0.086) or the composite efficacy endpoint (4.4% vs. 6.3%; odds ratio 0.78, 95% confidence interval 0.41 to 1.49; P=0.45).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that the efficacy and safety of TF-TAVI entirely managed by a PCI approach for selected patients are not different to those when TF-TAVI is performed with the attendance of a full anaesthesia care team. The PCI approach appears to be a safe and efficient clinical pathway, providing an appropriate and rational utilization of anaesthesiology resources, and could be used for the majority of TF-TAVI procedures.

Incidence, Predictors, and Outcomes of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Insights From the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Data Registry-Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry

[Figure: see text].

Incidence, Risk Factors and Impact on Long-Term Outcome of Postoperative Delirium After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Background: The aim of the present study was to analyze incidence, risk factors, and association with long-term outcome of postoperative delirium (POD) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Methods: Six hundred and sixty one consecutive patients undergoing TAVR were prospectively enrolled from January 2016 to December 2017. POD was assessed regularly during ICU-stay using the CAM-ICU test.

Results: The incidence of POD was 10.0% (n = 66). Patients developing POD were predominantly male (65%), had higher EuroSCORE II (5.4% vs. 3.9%; P = 0.041) and were more often considered frail (70% vs. 26%; P < 0.001). POD was associated with more peri-procedural complications including vascular complications (19.7 vs. 9.4; P = 0.017), bleeding (12.1 vs. 5.4%; P = 0.0495); stroke (4.5 vs. 0.7%; P = 0.025), respiratory failure requiring ventilation (16.7% vs. 1.8%; P < 0.001), and pneumonia (34.8% vs. 7.1%; P < 0.001). Consequently, patients with POD had significantly longer ICU- (7.9 vs. 3.2 days P < 0.001) and hospital-stay (14.9 vs. 9.0 days; P < 0.001), and higher in-hospital mortality (6.1 vs. 2.1%; P = 0.017). Logistic regression analysis identified male sex (odds ratio (OR) 2.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–4.0); P = 0.012], atrial fibrillation [OR 3.0 (CI 1.6–5.6); P < 0.001], frailty [OR 4.3 (CI 2.4–7.9); P < 0.001], pneumonia [OR 4.4 (CI 2.3–8.7); P < 0.001], stroke [OR 7.0 (CI 1.2–41.6); P = 0.031], vascular complication [OR 2.9 (CI 1.3–6.3); P = 0.007], and general anesthesia [OR 2.0 (CI 1.0–3.7); P = 0.039] as independent predictors of POD. On Cox proportional hazard analysis POD emerged as a significant predictor of 2-year mortality [HR 1.89 (CI 1.06–3.36); P = 0.030].

Conclusion: POD is a frequent finding after TAVR and is significantly associated with reduced 2-year survival. Predictors of delirium include not only peri-procedural parameters like stroke, pneumonia, vascular complications and general anesthesia but also baseline characteristics as male sex, atrial fibrillation and frailty.

Temporal Trends, Characteristics, and Outcomes of Infective Endocarditis After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

BACKGROUND

Procedural improvements combined with the contemporary clinical profile of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) may have influenced the incidence and outcomes of infective endocarditis (IE) following TAVR. We aimed to determine the temporal trends, characteristics, and outcomes of IE post-TAVR.

METHODS

Observational study including 552 patients presenting definite IE post-TAVR. Patients were divided in 2 groups according to the timing of TAVR (historical cohort [HC]: before 2014; contemporary cohort [CC]: after 2014).

RESULTS

Overall incidence rates of IE were similar in both cohorts (CC vs HC: 5.45 vs 6.52 per 1000 person-years; P = .12), but the rate of early IE was lower in the CC (2.29‰ vs 4.89‰, P < .001). Enterococci were the most frequent microorganism. Most patients presented complicated IE ( CC: 67.7%; HC: 69.6%; P = .66), but the rate of surgical treatment remained low (CC: 20.7%; HC: 17.3%; P = .32). The CC exhibited lower rates of in-hospital acute kidney injury (35.1% vs 44.6%; P = .036) and in-hospital (26.6% vs 36.4%; P = .016) and 1-year (37.8% vs 53.5%; P < .001) mortality. Higher logistic EuroScore, Staphylococcus aureus etiology, and complications (stroke, heart failure, and acute renal failure) were associated with in-hospital mortality in multivariable analyses (P < .05 for all).

CONCLUSIONS

Although overall IE incidence has remained stable, the incidence of early IE has declined in recent years. The microorganism, high rate of complications, and very low rate of surgical treatment remained similar. In-hospital and 1-year mortality rates were high but progressively decreased over time.

Delirium in older patients undergoing aortic valve replacement: incidence, predictors, and cognitive prognosis

Background

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is increasingly performed in frail older patients who were previously ineligible for a standard surgical procedure. The objectives of this study are to determine delirium incidence, predictors, and relationship with cognitive performance at 3-month follow-up in older patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR).

Methods

Patients (N = 93) aged 70 years and older, undergoing transcatheter (TAVR, N = 66) or surgical (SAVR, N = 27) aortic valve replacement in an academic medical center were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. Delirium was assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, and 7. Data on patients’ socio-demographics, functional status (including instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and surgical risk scores (including Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) risk score), were collected at baseline. Cognitive status was assessed with the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) and the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) at baseline and 3 months after AVR.

Results

Delirium occurred in 21 (23%) patients, within the first three postoperative days in 95% (20/21) of the cases. Delirium incidence was lower in TAVR (13/66 = 20%) than SAVR (8/27 = 30%) patients, but this difference was not statistically significant (p = .298). Patients with delirium had lower baseline cognitive performance (median MMSE score 27.0 ± 3.0 vs 28.0 ± 3.0, p = .029), lower performance in IADL (7.0 vs 8.0, p = .038), and higher STS risk scores (4.7 ± 2.7 vs 2.9 ± 2.3, p = .020). In multivariate analyses, patients with intermediate (score > 3 to ≤8) and high (score > 8) STS risk scores had 4.3 (95%CI 1.2–15.1, p = .025) and 16.5 (95%CI 2.0–138.2, p = .010), respectively, higher odds of incident delirium compared to patients with low (score ≤ 3) STS risk scores. At 3-month follow-up (N = 77), patients with delirium still had lower MMSE score (27.0 ± 8.0 vs 28.0 ± 2.0, p = .007) but this difference did not remain significant once adjusting for baseline MMSE (β-coefficient 1.11, 95%CI [− 3.03–0.80], p = .248).

Conclusions

Delirium occurred in about one in five older patients undergoing AVR, almost essentially within the first three postoperative days. Beside cognitive performance, STS risk score could enhance the identification of high-risk older patients to better target preventative interventions.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-021-02100-5.

Impact of conscious sedation and general anesthesia on periprocedural outcomes in Watchman left atrial appendage closure

BACKGROUND

Transcatheter left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is performed either in conscious sedation (CS) or general anesthesia (GA), and limited data exist regarding clinical outcomes for the two approaches. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of CS versus GA on acute outcomes in a large patient cohort undergoing LAAC with a Watchman occluder.

METHODS

A cohort of 521 consecutive patients underwent LAAC with Watchman occluders at two centers (REGIOMED hospitals, Germany) between 2012 and 2018. One site performed 303 consecutive LAAC procedures in GA, and the other site performed 218 consecutive procedures in CS. The safety endpoint was a composite of major periprocedural complications and postoperative pneumonia. The efficacy endpoint was defined as device success.

RESULTS

After a 1:1 propensity score matching, 196 (CS) vs. 115 (GA) patients could be compared. In 5 (2.6%) cases CS was converted to GA. The primary safety endpoint (3.5% [CS] vs. 7.0% [GA], p = 0.18) and its components (major periprocedural complications: 2.5% vs. 3.5%, p = 0.73; postoperative pneumonia: 2.6% vs. 4.3%, p = 0.51) did not differ between the groups. Also, device success was comparable (96.9% vs. 93.9%, p = 0.24).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients undergoing LAAC with the Watchman device, conscious sedation and general anesthesia showed comparable device success rates and safety outcomes. The type of anesthesia for LAAC may therefore be tailored to patient comorbidities, operator experience, and hospital logistics.

Conscious Sedation Versus General Anesthesia for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Variation in Practice and Outcomes

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to examine variation in the use of conscious sedation (CS) for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) across hospitals and over time and to evaluate outcomes of CS compared with general anesthesia (GA) using instrumental variable analysis, a quasi-experimental method to control for unmeasured confounding.

BACKGROUND

Despite increasing use of CS for TAVR, contemporary data on utilization patterns are lacking, and existing studies evaluating the impact of sedation choice on outcomes may suffer from unmeasured confounding.

METHODS

Among 120,080 patients in the TVT (Transcatheter Valve Therapy) Registry who underwent transfemoral TAVR between January 2016 and March 2019, the relationship between anesthesia choice and TAVR outcomes was evaluated using hospital proportional use of CS as an instrumental variable.

RESULTS

Over the study period, the proportion of TAVR performed using CS increased from 33% to 64%, and CS was used in a median of 0% and 91% of cases in the lowest and highest quartiles of hospital CS use, respectively. On the basis of instrumental variable analysis, CS was associated with decreases in in-hospital mortality (adjusted risk difference: 0.2%; p = 0.010) and 30-day mortality (adjusted risk difference: 0.5%; p < 0.001), shorter length of hospital stay (adjusted difference: 0.8 days; p < 0.001), and more frequent discharge to home (adjusted risk difference: 2.8%; p < 0.001) compared with GA. The magnitude of benefit for most endpoints was less than in a traditional propensity score-based approach, however.

CONCLUSIONS

In contemporary U.S. practice, the use of CS for TAVR continues to increase, although there remains wide variation across hospitals. The use of CS for TAVR is associated with improved outcomes (including reduced mortality) compared with GA, although the magnitude of benefit appears to be less than in previous studies.

Elective Percutaneous Paravalvular Leak Closure Under Conscious Sedation: Procedural Techniques and Clinical Outcomes

BACKGROUND

Paravalvular leaks (PVLs) are a well-recognized complication of prosthetic valves that are detected up to 18% of all implanted surgical valves. Perioperative morbidity is thought to be lower in percutaneous compared to surgical PVL repair. However, a direct comparison of PVL closure techniques has never been performed. Our study is the first to demonstrate that elective PVL closure with monitored anesthesia care can be achieved with high success and low complications rates resulting in short hospital stays.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort of patients admitted electively for catheter-based treatment of symptomatic prosthetic paravalvular regurgitation from Jan 2013 to April 2018. Both mitral and aortic PVLs were included. Patients' demographics, risk factors, procedural outcomes, In-hospital and thirty-day mortality were all reported. We followed the Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC) criteria to define device and procedural technical success. In-hospital and 30- day outcomes were assessed by retrospective chart review.

RESULTS

A total of 54 PVLs in thirty-seven patients were repaired (65% aortic & 35% mitral). The mean-age in the mitral cohort was lower than the aortic cohort (61 vs 72years, P<0.0001) but the two groups shared similar clinical risk factors (P>0.05). Average hospital stay was 1-2days (<1.5days overall cohort) which was significantly lower in the aortic compared to the mitral cohort (P=0.009). All procedures were guided by TEE under conscious sedation with monitored anesthesia care. Procedural technical success defined as any significant residual shunt was 81% in the overall cohort and 88% in the aortic group. No procedural deaths were reported. Short-term mortality during the first 30days was 5.4% (two patients).

CONCLUSION

Elective catheter-based repair of symptomatic prosthetic paravalvular regurgitation appears to be safe and effective. The use of conscious sedation with monitored anesthesia care resulted in short hospital stay.