Clinical Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Patients With Extremely Large Annulus and SAPIEN 3 Dimensions Based on Post-Procedural Computed Tomography.

BACKGROUND: Patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and an extra-large annulus (ELA) area (>683 mm2) can rarely be treated by transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) because of the size limitation of the transcatheter heart valves. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of TAVR using a 29-mm SAPIEN3 (S3) valve in patients with ELA and S3-dimensions by post-procedural computed tomography (post-CT). Methods and Results: We included 261 patients undergoing TAVR using a 29-mm S3: 30 patients with ELA and 231 with non-ELA were identified. S3-dimensions were evaluated at the S3 inflow and annulus level by post-CT in 129 patients. The ELA group had a greater aortic annulus area measured by pre-procedural CT (737.3±54.7 vs. 578.4±41.9 mm2, P<0.0001), higher balloon inflation volume (36 vs. 33 mL, P<0.0001), a larger S3 area at inflow by post-CT (729.6±42.2 vs. 682.2±35.0 mm2, P<0.001), and a correlation between the inflation volume and S3 area (r=0.71, P=0.0005). No differences were observed between groups in paravalvular aortic regurgitation (PAR) ≥mild (43.3% vs. 27.6%, P=0.09), PAR ≥moderate (3.3% vs. 1.3%, P=0.39) or 1-year mortality (10.0% vs. 9.1%, P=0.87). CONCLUSIONS: TAVR using a 29-mm S3 with extra inflation of the delivery balloon can be considered as a treatment option for patients with severe AS and ELA.

Final 24-hour Drain Output and Postoperative Day Are Poor Indicators for Appropriate Drain Removal.

Drains are used in plastic surgery to remove excess fluid while ameliorating complications. However, there is a paucity of evidence supporting guiding parameters on when to discontinue a drain. The aim of our study was to determine whether two of the most common parameters, drain volume 24 hours before removal or postoperative day, are valid indicators for drain removal. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for surgical operations performed by our division between July 2014 and May 2019. Of the 1308 patients, 616 had a drain and a complete record. Demographics, medical history, operative time, antibiotic use, anatomic site, donor/recipient, and complication type were recorded. Complications were defined as events that deviated from expected postoperative course or required pharmacological/procedural intervention. T-test and Chi square were used to analyze data. Results: In total, 544 patients were in the no complication group, and 72 were in the complication group. The complication group patients had drains removed later than patients in the no complication group (15.7 days versus 12.5 days, P = 0.0003) and had similar final 24-hour drain volumes versus patients in the no complication group (16.7 mL versus 18.8 mL, P = 0.2548). The complication group had more operations on the pelvis (11% versus 2.1%; P = 0.000017) or thigh (8.5% versus 3.4%; P = 0.029). Conclusions: Our data suggest neither postoperative day nor 24-hour volume before drain removal are valid indicators for removal. Late removal correlates with more complications; however, persisting output leading to later removal may be predictive of an impending complication rather than delays in drain removal causing the complication.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in bicuspid aortic valve stenosis: where do we stand?

Bicuspid aortic valve is the most common congenital cardiac defect in adults, and symptom typically develops in adulthood. In the majority of cases, bicuspid aortic valve disease progress with ages and surgical aortic valve replacement is performed with excellent operative outcomes. However, with the relatively slow progression of disease, surgical aortic valve replacement is required in elderly patients but the surgical risk often deemed extremely high due to old age and multiple comorbidities. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has evolved from a novel technology to an established therapy for intermediate- and high-risk patients with symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis (AS). Numerous studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of TAVR, and more than 250,000 patients have been treated with this technology. Although randomized trials have established TAVR as the standard treatment, these trials excluded congenital bicuspid AS due to its unique morphological features. Nevertheless, the growing experience, accumulated knowledge, and advancements of new technology lead to the expand use of TAVR to other pathologies or other populations such as bicuspid AS. With integration of imaging multimodalities (computed tomography and echocardiography), the diagnosis and classification of bicuspid aortic valve has been changing. Due to unfavorable anatomic features of bicuspid AS, the outcomes of TAVR in bicuspid AS was suboptimal, particularly when using the first-generation transcatheter valves. However, the newer-generation transcatheter valves significantly improved the outcomes of TAVR in bicuspid AS. Nonetheless, several issues still remain to be resolved. Given longer life expectancy in patients with bicuspid AS undergoing TAVR, durability of transcatheter valves is concerned. In addition, patients with bicuspid aortic valves often have concomitant dilatation of proximal part of ascending aorta (aortopathy), but limited data exist about the clinical prognosis of bicuspid aortic valve with concomitant aortopathy in elderly patients. Considering the expanding indication of TAVR to lower surgical risk and younger population, these issues should be evaluated in future studies.

Diagnosis and Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Stenosis.

Bicuspid aortic valve is the most common congenital cardiac malformation. Aortic valve replacement is often required in older patients but the surgical risk is often extremely high. As Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an established therapy for intermediate and high surgical risk patients with symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis (AS). Advances in technology and knowledge have led to TAVI being used for other pathologies and populations such as bicuspid AS. Recently, the diagnosis and classification of bicuspid aortic valve based on multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) assessment has been proposed, which may have an impact of outcomes after TAVI. This review article describes the advancements in diagnosis and outcomes of bicuspid AS.