Cardiac Health Assessment Using a Wearable Device Before and After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: Prospective Study

Background

Due to aging of the population, the prevalence of aortic valve stenosis will increase drastically in upcoming years. Consequently, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedures will also expand worldwide. Optimal selection of patients who benefit with improved symptoms and prognoses is key, since TAVI is not without its risks. Currently, we are not able to adequately predict functional outcomes after TAVI. Quality of life measurement tools and traditional functional assessment tests do not always agree and can depend on factors unrelated to heart disease. Activity tracking using wearable devices might provide a more comprehensive assessment.

Objective

This study aimed to identify objective parameters (eg, change in heart rate) associated with improvement after TAVI for severe aortic stenosis from a wearable device.

Methods

In total, 100 patients undergoing routine TAVI wore a Philips Health Watch device for 1 week before and after the procedure. Watch data were analyzed offline-before TAVI for 97 patients and after TAVI for 75 patients.

Results

Parameters such as the total number of steps and activity time did not change, in contrast to improvements in the 6-minute walking test (6MWT) and physical limitation domain of the transformed WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire.

Conclusions

These findings, in an older TAVI population, show that watch-based parameters, such as the number of steps, do not change after TAVI, unlike traditional 6MWT and QoL assessments. Basic wearable device parameters might be less appropriate for measuring treatment effects from TAVI.

Influence of mild cognitive impairment on clinical and functional prognosis in older candidates for cardiac surgery

Introduction

In this study, we analyzed the prognostic impact of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) prior to cardiac surgery on 12-month clinical outcomes in older patients.

Method

We performed a longitudinal prospective study of 48 patients undergoing cardiac surgery and 26 neurologically healthy participants aged 65 years or older. All participants underwent a neuropsychological assessment. Functional status, quality of life and frailty were assessed in candidates for surgery. One year after surgery, 24 patients remained in the study.

Results

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was diagnosed in 35% of the patients at baseline. Postsurgical changes in functionality consisted of a tendency toward impaired basic activities of daily living (BADL) in the MCI group and a statistically significant worsening in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in women with MCI. Changes in quality of life consisted of a significant improvement in anxiety-depression in the MCI group and a tendency toward greater pain-discomfort in the non-MCI group. Cognitive status significantly declined only in the non-MCI group. Neither group showed significant changes in frailty. Relative risk analysis showed that patients with a diagnosis of MCI at baseline had a higher risk of cognitive decline at follow-up, while those without a diagnosis of MCI at baseline had a lower risk of impaired IADL. No association was found between MCI and resource use. Preoperative impairment in memory, visuospatial and executive functions was significantly associated with loss of quality of life at follow-up. Impairment of memory and visuospatial function was significantly associated with cognitive decline. Preserved memory was associated with a lower risk of impaired BADL at follow-up.

Conclusion

The present study provides clue on the impact of MCI in candidates for cardiac surgery. Preoperative detection of cognitive impairment could be highly valuable to help guide pre- and post-operative management.

Quality of Life Measures in Aortic Stenosis Research: A Narrative Review

BACKGROUND

Elderly patients with aortic stenosis (AS) not only have a reduced life expectancy but also a reduced quality of life (QoL). The benefits of an AS intervention may be considered a balance between a good QoL and a reasonably extended life. However, the different questionnaires being used to determine the QoL were generally not developed for the specific situation of patients with AS and come with strengths and considerable weaknesses. The objective of this article was to provide an overview of the available QoL instruments in AS research, describe their strengths and weaknesses, and provide our assessment of the utility of the available scoring instruments for QoL measurements in AS.

SUMMARY

We identified and reviewed the following instruments that are used in AS research: Short Form Health Survey (SF-36/SF-12), EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), the Illness Intrusiveness Rating Scale (IIRS), the HeartQoL, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHF), the MacNew Questionnaire, and the Toronto Aortic Stenosis Quality of Life Questionnaire (TASQ).

KEY MESSAGES

There is no standardized assessment of QoL in patients with AS. Many different questionnaires are being used, but they are rarely specific for AS. There is a need for AS-specific research into the QoL of patients as life prolongation may compete for an improved QoL in this elderly patient group.

Postoperative delirium and quality of life after transcatheter and surgical aortic valve replacement: A prospective observational study

OBJECTIVE

In older patients, postoperative delirium is a frequently occurring complication after surgical aortic valve replacement, leading to an excess in postoperative morbidity and mortality. It remains controversial whether transcatheter aortic valve implantation and minimally invasive surgical aortic valve replacement can reduce the risk of postoperative delirium. This study aimed to compare the incidence of postoperative delirium after transcatheter aortic valve implantation and surgical aortic valve replacement and the impact on long-term outcomes.

METHODS

Between September 2018 and January 2020, we conducted an observational, prospective cohort study in patients aged 70 years or more undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation or surgical aortic valve replacement. The primary end point was the incidence of in-hospital postoperative delirium during 5 postoperative days assessed with the Confusion Assessment Method. Secondary end points included perioperative inflammation, postoperative complications, health status (EuroQol 5-dimensional questionnaire 5 levels), and mortality up to 6 months. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation and surgical aortic valve replacement were compared using propensity weighting to account for important baseline differences (European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II, age, and frailty).

RESULTS

We included 250 patients with a mean (standard deviation) age of 80 (±5.8) years and a European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation score of 5 (±4.7). In the propensity-weighted analysis, those undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (N = 166) had a higher incidence of postoperative delirium compared with transcatheter aortic valve implantation (N = 84) (51% vs 15%: P < .0001). Furthermore, patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement experienced more inflammation, a greater depth of anesthesia, and more intraoperative hypotension. After surgical aortic valve replacement, 41% of patients experienced an improved health status compared with 12% after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (P < .0001). No outcome differences were noted within the surgical aortic valve replacement groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is associated with a lower risk for postoperative delirium. Nevertheless, patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement experience the greatest improvement in quality of life. Heart teams should consider these outcomes in shared decision-making in the choice of transcatheter aortic valve implantation or surgical aortic valve replacement.

Preoperative frailty affects postoperative complications, exercise capacity, and home discharge rates after surgical and transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Assessment of frailty is important for risk stratification among the elderly with severe aortic stenosis (AS) when considering interventions such as surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). However, evidence of the impact of preoperative frailty on short-term postoperative outcomes or functional recovery is limited. This retrospective study included 234 consecutive patients with severe AS who underwent SAVR or TAVR at Kobe University Hospital between Dec 2013 and Dec 2019. Primary outcomes were postoperative complications, postoperative 6-min walking distance (6MWD), and home discharge rates. The mean age was 82 ± 6.6 years. There were 169 (SAVR: 80, TAVR: 89) and 65 (SAVR: 20, TAVR: 45) patients in the non-frail and frail groups, respectively (p = 0.02). The postoperative complication rates in the frail group were significantly higher than those in the non-frail group [30.8% (SAVR: 35.0%, TAVR: 28.9%) vs. 10.7% (SAVR: 15.0%, TAVR: 6.7%), p < 0.001]. The home discharge rate in the non-frail group was significantly higher than that in the frail group [85.2% (SAVR: 81.2%, TAVR: 88.8%) vs. 49.2% (SAVR: 55.0%, TAVR: 46.7%), p < 0.001]. The postoperative 6MWD in the non-frail group was significantly longer than that in the frail group [299.3 ± 87.8 m (SAVR: 321.9 ± 90.8 m, TAVR: 281.1 ± 81.3 m) vs. 141.9 ± 92.4 m (SAVR: 167.8 ± 92.5 m, TAVR: 131.6 ± 91.3 m), p < 0.001]. The TAVR group did not show a decrease in the 6MWD after intervention, regardless of frailty. We report for the first time that preoperative frailty was strongly associated with postoperative complications, 6MWD, and home discharge rates following both SAVR and TAVR. Preoperative frailty assessment may provide useful indications for planning better individualized therapeutic interventions and supporting comprehensive intensive care before and after interventions.

Health-related quality of life following transcatheter aortic valve implantation using transaortic, transfemoral approaches and surgical aortic valve replacement-a single-center study

Objective

To evaluate short- and long-term changes in quality of life (QoL) in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and to assess differences in patient QoL when using the TAVI transaortic (TAVI TAo) approach compared with the transfemoral approach (TAVI TF) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).

Methods

Ninety-seven patients were assessed. Thirty-two patients underwent TAVI TAo, 31 underwent TAVI TF and 34 patients underwent SAVR. QoL was assessed using the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire at baseline, after one month and one year.

Results

Mean patient age was 80 years (range, 61–92 years) and the mean logistic EuroSCORE was 12.45% (range, 1.39%–78.98%). Declared health state at baseline was significantly lower in TAVI TF (P < 0.001) and after one month there were no differences between the three groups (P = 0.99). After one year, SAVR patient results of the EQ-5D-3L index value were lower in comparison to both TAVI patient groups (P < 0.05). The analysis also showed significant differences between the results of EQ-5D-3L index value over the one month and one year follow-up (TAVI TAo, P < 0.001; TAVI TF, P < 0.05; SAVR, P < 0.05). In all groups, the values significantly increased after one-month and one-year of follow-up in comparison to baseline value. Significant differences were also demonstrated between Visual Analogue Scale values (VAS).

Conclusions

A significant improvement in QoL was observed in all three patient groups. Regardless of the TAVI approach, EQ-5D-3L and VAS values were significantly increased after one-month and one-year follow up; the SAVR patients however, reported lower health status when compared to the TAVI patients.