Right Ventricular Dysfunction in Patients With Concomitant Tricuspid Regurgitation Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Improved tricuspid regurgitation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement is associated with better survival: Systematic review and meta-analysis with reconstructed time-to-event data

BACKGROUND

This meta-analysis compared survival outcomes among patients experiencing improvement in untreated significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe aortic stenosis, in contrast to those without improvement.

METHODS

MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched through January 2024. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed. Employing network meta-analysis, a comparison involving four post-procedural TR categories (improved, no improvement, worsened, and no change) was executed. Subsequently, these categories were amalgamated into two groups (less TR after TAVR and same or greater TR after TAVR), and a standard meta-analysis was conducted. Kaplan-Meier curves depicting long-term all-cause mortality were reconstructed utilizing individual patient data derived from the studies.

RESULTS

A systematic review identified seven non-randomized studies encapsulating 698 patients. Network meta-analysis revealed that improved TR after TAVR correlated with significantly lower long-term all-cause mortality compared to the remaining cohorts. Similarly, pooled all-cause mortality of standard meta-analysis demonstrated significant reduction in patients whose TR was sub-baseline than those exhibiting same or greater TR after TAVR (HR [95% CI] = 0.43 [0.32-0.58], p < .01). The hazard ratio, derived from reconstructed time-to-event data, showed a lower long-term all-cause mortality in patients with less TR after TAVR relative to the other cohort (HR [95% CI] = 0.46 [0.32-0.67], p < .01).

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis revealed that improved TR after TAVR correlates with superior long-term survival. The benefits of simultaneous or staged intervention on the tricuspid valve in individuals undergoing TAVR warrant validation in future investigations.

Prognostic impact of main pulmonary artery to ascending aorta diameter ratio in patients with severe aortic stenosis underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) and right ventricular dysfunction are poor prognostic predictors in patients underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for severe aortic stenosis (AS).

AIMS

The prognostic impact of the main pulmonary artery/ascending aorta diameter ratio (MPA/AOr), measured simply by computed-tomographic angiography (CTA), was investigated in this patient group.

METHODS

A total of 374 retrospectively evaluated patients (mean age 78.1 ± 8.4 years, 192 [51.3%] females) who underwent TAVI for severe AS were included. MPA/AOr was measured on preprocedural CTA in all patients and the effect of this measurement on the presence of PH, in-hospital and 2-year-overall long-term mortality was investigated.

RESULTS

The presence of PH was defined as a systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) >42 mmHg measured by echocardiography. According to multivariate-logistic-regression analysis, MPA/AOr (adjusted [Adj] odds ratio [OR]: 1.188, confidence interval [CI] 95% [1.002-1.410], p = 0.048), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) (adj OR:0.736, CI 95% [0.663-0.816], p < 0.001) and left atrial diameter (adj OR:1.051, CI 95% [1.007-1.098], p = 0.024) were identified as independent predictors of PH. In addition, a statistically significant correlation was found between MPA/AOr and TAPSE (r: -0.283, p < 0.001). Furthermore, MPA/AOr was found to be an independent predictor of both in-hospital (adj OR:1.434, CI 95% [1.093-1.881], p = 0.009) and 2-year long-term (adj OR:1.518, CI 95% [1.243-1.853], p < 0.001) mortality in multivariate analysis including TAPSE, STS score and sPAP. In the 2-year Kaplan-Meier survival probability analysis, an MPA/AOr >0.86 was found to have a hazard ratio of 3.697 (95% CI: 2.341-5.840), with a log-rank p < 0.001.

CONCLUSION

MPA/AOr, which can be measured simply by CTA, may be useful as an indicator of the presence of PH and poor prognosis in patients planned for TAVI for severe AS.