The safety of introducing a new generation TAVR device: one departments experience from introducing a second generation repositionable TAVR

Performance and short-term outcomes of three different transcatheter aortic valve replacement devices in patients with aortic stenosis: A single-center experience

BACKGROUND

Data on whether different transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices and delivery approaches can achieve equally favorable outcomes when performed by a single heart team are scarce. We sought to compare the performance and short-term outcomes of three different TAVR devices-self-expanding Medtronic CoreValve (MCV), mechanically expanded Lotus valve, and balloon-expandable Edwards SAPIEN XT (SXT)-for the treatment of severe aortic stenosis (AS) in a single large-volume center in Taiwan.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who underwent TAVR for the treatment of severe AS. Clinical outcomes were reported following Valve Academic Research Consortium 2 (VARC-2) criteria. The composite primary endpoint was combined all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), or disabling stroke within 180 days.

RESULTS

A total of 231 patients (MCV n=112, Lotus n=18, and SXT n=101) were included. The device and procedural success rates were similar among all three TAVR devices. At 30 days, there was no significant difference in all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, periprocedural MI, stroke, major vascular complications, life-threatening bleeding, acute kidney injury (AKI, stage 2/3), or VARC-2 composite early safety endpoints. There was no difference among groups in the rate of primary endpoint within 180 days. Lack of procedural success, presence of acute coronary occlusion during TAVR, and presence of AKI (stage 3) after TAVR were independent predictors of adverse outcomes.

CONCLUSION

TAVR using MCV, Lotus, or SXT was associated with similar 30- and 180-day clinical outcomes. The presence of periprocedural complications was one of the main determinants of short-term adverse outcomes.

Single-center evaluation of a next generation fully repositionable and retrievable transcatheter aortic valve replacement

BACKGROUND

The mechanically expandable Lotus Valve System is a fully repositionable and retrievable valve with an adaptive seal to minimize paravalvular leak (PVL). The aim of this study was to evaluate the short- and long-term safety and efficacy of the new device with focus on a new implantation technique to reduce the need for a permanent pacemaker (PPM) post procedure.

METHODS

We performed a prospective single-center, non-randomized evaluation of the Lotus Valve System. The first 100 consecutive Lotus Valve implantations were included in the analysis. Outcome was assessed according to VARC2-criteria. Postoperative pacemaker rates were assessed using the national pacemaker registry and electronic medical records. Mortality at 30 days and 12 months were acquired from the national population registry.

RESULTS

Mean age was 82.7 ± 5.6 years, mean Euroscore I was 25.3 ± 14.5%, mean STS-score was 6.5 ± 4.1% and mean aortic valve area was 0.6 ± 0.1 cm². There were no cases of valve embolization, ectopic valve deployment or additional valve implantation. Device success according to the VARC2-criteria was 97%. The 30-day mortality rate was 3%. Two deaths occurred due to stroke and one due to a ventricular rupture. Major stroke rate was 2% and major vascular complication rate was 2%. The 12-month mortality rate was 14%. At discharge 87% of patients had no/trace PVL, 12% had mild PVL and one patient had a moderate PVL. A total of 13% received a new PPM post valve implantation. Among patients who did not have a PPM before the procedure, the PPM rate was 15.3%.

CONCLUSIONS

This single-center evaluation of the Lotus Valve System demonstrated a good clinical outcome with a low mortality, in a high-risk population. Introduction of a new implantation technique resulted in lower PPM rates than previously reported without negatively affecting PVL.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN14952278 , retrospectively registered 06/11/2017.

Repositionable self-expanding aortic bioprosthesis

INTRODUCTION

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation/replacement (TAVI or TAVR) has been established as a first line therapy in patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) at high or prohibitive surgical risk and as an alternative in elderly patients with intermediate surgical risk. Since its first-in-human procedure in 2002, the past 15-years have shown rapid developments in TAVI technology with the introduction and further improvement of new transcatheter heart valves (THV). Areas covered: There are currently several THV systems available, based on balloon-expandable, self-expandable or other technologies. Some of these are repositionable and retrievable even after partial or full deployment, potentially reducing the risk of malpositioning. The aim of this review is to describe such repositionable self-expandable THV systems. Expert commentary: Repositionability potentially represents a crucial step towards higher safety and efficacy of TAVI. It is unclear if full self-expandability or a combination of self and mechanical expansion will be more advantageous.