Right atrial structural remodeling predict worse outcomes in transcatheter mitral valve repair.

BACKGROUND: In the current study, we assess the predictive role of right and left atrial volume indices (RAVI and LAVI) as well as the ratio of RAVI/LAVI (RLR) on mortality following transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr). METHODS: Transthoracic echocardiograms of 158 patients who underwent TMVr at a single academic medical center from 2011 to 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. RAVI and LAVI were calculated using Simpson's method. Patients were stratified based on etiology of mitral regurgitation (MR). Cox proportional-hazard regression was created utilizing MR type, STS-score, and RLR to assess the independent association of RLR with survival. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to analyze the association between RAVI and LAVI with all-cause mortality. Hemodynamic values from preprocedural right heart catheterization were also compared between RLR groups. RESULTS: Among 123 patients included (median age 81.3 years; 52.5% female) there were 50 deaths during median follow-up of 3.0 years. Patients with a high RAVI and low LAVI had significantly higher all-cause mortality while patients with high LAVI and low RAVI had significantly improved all-cause mortality compared to other groups (p = 0.0032). RLR was significantly associated with mortality in patients with both functional and degenerative MR (p = 0.0038). Finally, Cox proportion-hazard modeling demonstrated that an elevated RLR above the median value was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality [HR = 2.304; 95% CI = 1.26-4.21, p = 0.006] when MR type and STS score were accounted for. CONCLUSION: Patients with a high RAVI and low LAVI had significantly increased mortality than other groups following TMVr suggesting RA remodeling may predict worse outcomes following the procedure. Concordantly, RLR was predictive of mortality independent of MR type and preprocedural STS-score. These indices may provide additional risk stratification in patients undergoing evaluation for TMVr.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Discretionary Atherectomy in Patients with Aortic Stenosis: 2016-2019 National Inpatient Sample.

BACKGROUND: Patients with aortic stenosis (AS) usually have concomitant calcified coronary artery disease (CAD) requiring atherectomy to improve lesion compliance and odds of successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, there is a paucity of data regarding PCI with or without atherectomy in patients with AS. METHODS: The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was queried from 2016 through 2019 using ICD-10 codes to identify individuals with AS who underwent PCI with or without atherectomy (Orbital Atherectomy [OA], Rotational or Laser Atherectomy [non-OA]). Temporal trends, safety, outcomes, costs, and correlates of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were assessed using discharge weighted data. RESULTS: Hospitalizations of 45,420 AS patients undergoing PCI with or without atherectomy were identified and of those, 88.6 %, 2.3 %, and 9.1 % were treated with PCI-only, OA, or non-OA, respectively. There was an increase in PCIs (8855 to 10,885), atherectomy [OA (165 to 300) and non-OA (795 to 1255)], and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) use (625 to 1000). The median cost of admission was higher in the atherectomy cohorts ($34,340.77 in OA, $32,306.2 in non-OA) as compared to the PCI-only cohort ($23,683.98). Patients tend to have decreased odds of MACE with IVUS guided atherectomy and PCI. CONCLUSIONS: This large database revealed a significant increase in PCI with or without atherectomy in AS patients from 2016 to 2019. Considering the complex comorbidities of AS patients, the overall complication rates were well distributed among the different cohorts, suggesting that IVUS guided PCI with or without atherectomy in patients with AS is feasible and safe.

Impact of Mitral Regurgitation Etiology on Mitral Surgery After Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair: From the CUTTING-EDGE Registry.

BACKGROUND: Although >150,000 mitral TEER procedures have been performed worldwide, the impact of MR etiology on MV surgery after TEER remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to compare outcomes of mitral valve (MV) surgery after failed transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) stratified by mitral regurgitation (MR) etiology. METHODS: Data from the CUTTING-EDGE registry were retrospectively analyzed. Surgeries were stratified by MR etiology: primary (PMR) and secondary (SMR). MVARC (Mitral Valve Academic Research Consortium) outcomes at 30 days and 1 year were evaluated. Median follow-up was 9.1 months (IQR: 1.1-25.8 months) after surgery. RESULTS: From July 2009 to July 2020, 330 patients underwent MV surgery after TEER, of which 47% had PMR and 53.0% had SMR. Mean age was 73.8 ± 10.1 years, median STS risk at initial TEER was 4.0% (IQR: 2.2%-7.3%). Compared with PMR, SMR had a higher EuroSCORE, more comorbidities, lower LVEF pre-TEER and presurgery (all P < 0.05). SMR patients had more aborted TEER (25.7% vs 16.3%; P = 0.043), more surgery for mitral stenosis after TEER (19.4% vs 9.0%; P = 0.008), and fewer MV repairs (4.0% vs 11.0%; P = 0.019). Thirty-day mortality was numerically higher in SMR (20.4% vs 12.7%; P = 0.072), with an observed-to-expected ratio of 3.6 (95% CI: 1.9-5.3) overall, 2.6 (95% CI: 1.2-4.0) in PMR, and 4.6 (95% CI: 2.6-6.6) in SMR. SMR had significantly higher 1-year mortality (38.3% vs 23.2%; P = 0.019). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, the actuarial estimates of cumulative survival were significantly lower in SMR at 1 and 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of MV surgery after TEER is nontrivial, with higher mortality after surgery, especially in SMR patients. These findings provide valuable data for further research to improve these outcomes.

Coronary Orbital Atherectomy in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis.

OBJECTIVES: Orbital atherectomy (OA) has been shown to be safe and effective in patients with severe calcific coronary artery disease; however, there is a paucity of data on OA use in patients with concomitant severe aortic stenosis (AS). METHODS: A retrospective analysis of consecutive patients undergoing coronary OA treatment of severely calcified lesions, from January 2014 to September 2020 at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, Florida (MSMCMB), was completed. Data were analyzed to assess rates of angiographic complications, successful stent placement, and in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE; defined as the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, ischemic cerebrovascular accident [CVA], and hemorrhagic CVA) in AS vs non-AS patients. RESULTS: A total of 609 patients underwent OA; of those, 32 (5.3%) had severe AS. The AS patient cohort was significantly older (80.3 years vs 73.7 years; P<.001), with a significantly higher percentage of Hispanic or Latino individuals (75% vs 56.5%; P=.04) and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (64.6 mL/min/1.73 m² vs 76.6 mL/min/1.73 m²; P =.03) than the non-AS cohort. Angiographic complication rates were similar and both groups resulted in 100% successful stent placement. There was no difference in MACE rates between the AS and non-AS cohorts (3.1% vs 1.4%; P=.39). CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the largest real-world comparison of OA use in AS vs non-AS patients. OA appears feasible, safe, and effective prior to stent placement in patients with severe AS. Prospective randomized trials are needed to determine the ideal revascularization strategy for AS patients.

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair and Replacement: What's on the Horizon?

There are more than 4 million people affected by mitral regurgitation in both the United States and Europe. Prior to the last decade the only options for treatment of MR were medical therapy and open-heart surgery which left many high risk patients with little option once medically optimized. However, we saw a flood in innovative transcatheter mitral valve interventions. As the technologies are refined these new approaches are considerably less invasive and for some high-risk patients may represent a superior option to conventional open-heart surgery. There are 3 main approaches currently being considered for transcatheter mitral valve repair, edge to edge repair, indirect annuloplasty and direct annuloplasty. There have also been large advancements in recent years in transcatheter replacement of the mitral valve. Although many of these devices are under investigation still, we sought to examine the current state of innovative transcatheter mitral valve technologies.

Percutaneous tricuspid annuloplasty.

Severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a common problem, affecting approximately 1.6 million Americans, with the majority (85%) of TR being functional in nature. When left untreated, TR is associated with progressive right-sided heart failure, with a poor prognosis entailing high morbidity and mortality. Surgical repair is still the gold standard for TR, but only a small proportion of patients undergo surgical repair leaving a high clinical demand for alternatives to conventional surgery. Percutaneous repair and replacement of cardiac valves have exponentially advanced in the past decade, including transcatheter tricuspid valve repair. There are still anatomical challenges that need to be addressed when performing a percutaneous transcatheter annuloplasty compared to a surgical annuloplasty, such as approach, access, landing zone, proximal structures and visibility. Current percutaneous annuloplasty systems either obtain a direct (Cardioband) or indirect (TriCinch and Trialign) annuloplasty. Both direct and indirect percutaneous annuloplasties are modeled after surgical experiences. This review will investigate novel direct and indirect transcatheter annuloplasty devices for repair of severe tricuspid regurgitation.