Research presented at the 21st annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), demonstrated an "exceptionally low" rate of complications one year after implantation of transcatheter aortic valve prostheses.
The aortic valve study was led by Sabine Bleiziffer, MD, consultant cardiac surgeon, German Heart Center Munich, Munich, Germany, and will be presented as a poster abstract (TCT-111) on Tuesday, September 22 between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. in Hall D of The Moscone Center.
"Transcatheter aortic valve implantation with the self-expandable prosthesis is an effective and durable treatment for patients with aortic stenosis not eligible for surgical aortic valve replacement," said Dr. Bleiziffer.
Between June 2007 and April 2009, 179 aortic valve prostheses were implanted in non-surgical candidates via a number of different routes: transfemoral (164 patients), transapical (5 patients), subclavian artery (7 patients), and ascending aorta (3 patients). Patients were a mean age of 81 - 7y, with a mean STS score of 19 - 11% and symptomatic high-grade aortic stenosis (mean valve orifice area 0.7 - 0.2cm-, mean aortic gradient 48 - 18 mm Hg).
Periprocedural complications included femoral access site complications in 13% of the patients, dialysis for postoperative renal failure in 8%, neurologic events in 7%, and permanent pacemaker implantation in 26%. 30 day-, 6 months-, and 1 year-survival was 88%, 78%, and 78%, respectively.