Abstract
Background
Since the first-in-man transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) performed in 2002, the number of procedures has dramatically increased. However, long-term data regarding outcome and valve durability remain poor.
Purpose
We aimed to evaluate the evolution of 30-day outcomes over years and long-term mortality and valve durability after TAVI.
Methods
All consecutive patients presenting with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis treated by TAVI in our center were included prospectively. Clinical and echocardiographic follow-up was performed at 30 days and annually thereafter. Survival curves were constructed using Kaplan-Meier analysis. We also evaluated valve durability according to the European standardized definition of structural valve deterioration.
Results
Between 2002 and 2018, 1530 consecutive patients underwent TAVI including 1285 (84.0%) patients via a femoral approach. A balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valve was predominantly used (1421 patients; 92.9%). The annual transfemoral approach rate increased progressively to reach 93.3%. Age of patients remained stable over time with a global mean age of 83.7±6.5 years old. Logistic EuroSCORE decreased from 49.2±8.2% to 14.3±8.6% (p<0.0001). Thirty-day mortality dramatically decreased below 3% since 2015 and was 0% in 2018. Similarly, major vascular complications decreased from 50.0% in the first year to less than 1% since 2017 (p=0.001). The length of hospital-stay progressively shortened up to a median of 2 days in 2018. The Kaplan-Meier survival estimation was 82.3%, 60.3%, 33.0%; 11.7% and 8.9% respectively at 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10 years. On long-term follow-up the mean aortic gradient remained unchanged (Figure), and only five patients presented a severe prosthetic valve deterioration. Among them, four patients successfully benefited from a valve in valve TAVI procedure. The competing risk analysis at 10 years estimates risk for severe and moderate-or-severe valve deterioration of 1.9±0.9% and 4.3±1.3% respectively.
TEE mean transaortic gradient
Conclusions
Long-term (up to 10 years) follow-up of our large pioneer series of patients treated by TAVI shows a dramatic improvement of outcomes and no warning signs of valve deterioration suggesting very encouraging valve durability, using predominantly, a balloon expandable prosthesis. Further studies are warranted to study valve durability after TAVI before extension to lower risk patients.
Aortic Valve Stenosis with Black Pigmentation Due to Alkaptonuria: A Case Report
