Durability of bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement in patients under the age of 60 years - 1-year follow-up from the prospective INDURE registry

OBJECTIVES

We report 1-year safety and clinical outcomes in patients <60 years undergoing bioprosthetic surgical aortic valve intervention.

METHODS

The INSPIRIS RESILIA Durability Registry is a prospective, multicentre registry to assess clinical outcomes of patients <60 years. Patients with planned SAVR with or without concomitant replacement of the ascending aorta and/or coronary bypass surgery were included. Time-related valve safety, haemodynamic performance and quality of life (QoL) at 1 year were assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 421 patients were documented with a mean age of 53.5 years, 76.5% being male and 27.2% in NYHA class III/IV. Outcomes within 30 days included cardiovascular-related mortality (0.7%), time-related valve safety (VARC-2; 5.8%), thromboembolic events (1.7%), valve-related life-threatening bleeding (VARC-2; 4.3%) and permanent pacemaker implantation (3.8%). QoL was significantly increased at 6 months and sustained at 1 year. Freedom from all-cause mortality at 1 year was 98.3% (95% confidence interval 97.1; 99.6) and 81.8% were NYHA I versus 21.9% at baseline. No patient developed structural valve deterioration stage 3 (VARC-3). The mean aortic pressure gradient was 12.6 mmHg at 1 year and the effective orifice area was 1.9 cm2.

CONCLUSIONS

The 1-year data from the INSPIRIS RESILIA valve demonstrate good safety and excellent haemodynamic performance as well as an early QoL improvement.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03666741.

Long-Term Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Aortic Root Replacement With Mechanical Versus Bioprosthetic Valves: Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time-to-Event Data

Background An aspect not so clear in the scenario of aortic surgery is how patients fare after composite aortic valve graft replacement (CAVGR) depending on the type of valve (bioprosthetic versus mechanical). We performed a study to evaluate the long-term outcomes of both strategies comparatively. Methods and Results Pooled meta-analysis of Kaplan-Meier-derived time-to-event data from studies with follow-up for overall survival (all-cause death), event-free survival (composite end point of cardiac death, valve-related complications, stroke, bleeding, embolic events, and/or endocarditis), and freedom from reintervention. Twenty-three studies met our eligibility criteria, including 11 428 patients (3786 patients with mechanical valves and 7642 patients with bioprosthetic valve). The overall population was mostly composed of men (mean age, 45.5-75.6 years). In comparison with patients who underwent CAVGR with bioprosthetic valves, patients undergoing CAVGR with mechanical valves presented no statistically significant difference in the risk of all-cause death in the first 30 days after the procedure (hazard ratio [HR], 1.24 [95% CI, 0.95-1.60]; P=0.109), but they had a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality after the 30-day time point (HR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.81-0.99]; P=0.039) and lower risk of reintervention (HR, 0.33 [95% CI, 0.24-0.45]; P<0.001). Despite its increased risk for the composite end point in the first 6 years of follow-up (HR, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.09-1.82]; P=0.009), CAVGR with mechanical valves is associated with a lower risk for the composite end point after the 6-year time point (HR, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.31-0.67]; P<0.001). Conclusions CAVGR with mechanical valves is associated with better long-term outcomes in comparison with CAVGR with bioprosthetic valves.

Does Quality of Life in Survivors of Surgery for Acute Left-Sided Infective Endocarditis Differ from Non-Endocarditis Patients?

Surgery for left-sided infective endocarditis (IE) has been demonstrated to improve patients' survival rates but information about quality of life (QoL) after surgery is scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the postoperative outcomes and QoL after surgery for IE patients compared to patients undergoing cardiac surgery for non-IE indications. Adult patients with definite acute left-sided IE were matched 1:1 to patients who underwent cardiac surgery for non-endocarditic purposes from 2014 to 2019. QoL was assessed using the SF-36 survey at the last follow-up. A total of 105 patients were matched. The IE group had higher rates of preoperative stroke (21% vs. 7.6%, p = 0.005) and higher stages of NYHA class (p < 0.001), EuroSCORE II (12.3 vs. 3.0, p < 0.001) and blood cell count abnormalities (p < 0.001). The IE group had higher incidence of low cardiac output syndrome (13.3% vs. 4.8%, p = 0.029), dialysis (10.5% vs 1.0%, p = 0.007) and prolonged mechanical ventilation (16.2% vs. 2.9%, p = 0.002) after surgery. At the last follow-up, subcomponents of the SF-36 QoL survey were not different between the groups. Patients who underwent cardiac surgery for IE demonstrated a higher risk profile with a higher rate of postoperative complications. Once recovered from the acute phase of the disease, the reported QoL at follow-up was comparable to that of matched cardiac patients operated for non-IE purposes.

Long-term outcomes of patients undergoing mechanical versus bioprosthetic aortic root replacement

BACKGROUND

We evaluated the impact of valve type (mechanical vs. bioprosthetic) on survival after aortic root replacement (ARR).

METHODS

In a propensity-matched analysis, we evaluated consecutive operations from 2010 to 2018. Patients were identified using a prospectively maintained institutional database. Patients with infective endocarditis were excluded. Kaplan-Meier survival estimation and multivariable Cox regression analysis were performed. Cox regression adjusted for age, sex, baseline comorbidities, and operative variables. Propensity score matching yielded 153 pairs of patients.

RESULTS

A total of 893 patients were identified. We excluded 192 patients with endocarditis and evaluated 701 patients. Of these patients, 455 (64.9%) received a bioprosthetic valve, 246 (35.1%) received a mechanical valve. Median follow-up was 4.06 years. The proportion of aortic dissections and circulatory arrest as well as cardiopulmonary bypass and ischemic times were similar across groups (p = .207, p = .086, p = .668, p = .454, respectively). Operative mortality was significantly higher in the bioprosthetic valve group (7.9% vs. 2.4%, p = .004). Total length of hospital stay was longer (11.4 ± 11.0 vs. 9.5 ± 10.1, p < .001) and there was a higher proportion of prolonged postoperative ventilation >24 h (21.3% vs. 13.0%, p = .007) in the bioprosthetic group. Postoperative outcomes were similar, regarding stroke (p = .077), re-exploration for bleeding (p = .211), new dialysis requirement (p = .077), long-term bleeding complications (p = .561), and reoperations (p = .755). Mechanical valve replacement was associated with improved long-term survival (adjusted HR 0.42, 95% CI: 0.23-0.77, p = .005).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that mechanical valves for ARRs may confer a survival benefit over bioprosthetic valves. Surgeon bias was likely to account for this survival advantage.

Cross-Linking Porcine Pericardium by 3,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde: A Novel Method to Improve the Biocompatibility of Bioprosthetic Valve

Heart valve replacement is an effective therapy for patients with moderate to severe valvular stenosis or regurgitation. Most bioprosthetic heart valves applied clinically are based on cross-linking with glutaraldehyde (GLUT), but they have some drawbacks like high cytotoxicity, severe calcification, and poor hemocompatibility. In this study, we focused on enhancing the properties of bioprosthetic heart valves by cross-linking with 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (DHBA). The experiment results revealed that compared with GLUT cross-linked porcine pericardium (PP), the relative amount of platelets absorbed on the surface of DHBA cross-linked PP decreased from 0.294 ± 0.034 to 0.176 ± 0.028, and the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) increased from 9.9 ± 0.1 to 15.2 ± 0.1 s, indicating improved hemocompatibility. Moreover, anticalcification performance and cytocompatibility were greatly enhanced by DHBA cross-linking. In conclusion, the properties of bioprosthetic valves could be effectively improved by processing valves with a DHBA-based cross-linking method.