Introduction:
Multiple valvular heart disease (mVHD) caused by mixed stenotic and regurgitant lesions involving at least two valves is a common condition which is poorly understood and challenging to manage. Herein, we simulate the hemodynamics of a patient with mVHD before and after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to better understand the physiology of this complex disease.
Case:
A 67-year-old man with celiac enteropathy presented to a local hospital with dyspnea, hypotension, and oliguria. Echocardiography revealed a dilated left ventricle (end-diastolic diameter [LVEDD] 6.7 cm) with an ejection fraction (EF) of 20% and multiple severe valvulopathies, including aortic stenosis (AS), aortic regurgitation (AR), and mitral regurgitation (MR). Right heart catheterization revealed a low cardiac index (1.76 L/min/m
2
) and a high wedge pressure (36 mmHg) with V-waves exceeding 50 mmHg. The patient’s severe AR precluded mechanical circulatory support, so TAVR was emergently performed in the setting of worsening cardiogenic shock (CS) with a 29 mm self-expanding bioprosthesis via transfemoral access. Valve deployment was successfully guided by fluoroscopy and transthoracic echocardiography alone. CS resolved in the subsequent 48 hours, and at 3-month follow-up, his LV EF returned to 55% and LVEDD decreased to 4.4 cm. LV pressure-volume loops pre- and post-TAVR were generated using a cardiovascular physiology simulator (Fig. 1). TAVR’s correction of the patient’s severe AS and AR produced immediate energetic benefits, with pressure-volume area declining 13% and cardiac power output increasing 2.24-fold.
Conclusions:
This challenging case and the accompanying pressure-volume analysis affirms the feasibility of emergent TAVR in highly selected patients, the procedure’s ability to immediately improve ventricular performance, and the LV’s capacity to remodel when operating under more physiologic loading conditions.
Comprehensive update on the new indications for transcatheter aortic valve replacement in the latest 2017 European guidelines for the management of valvular heart disease
