The role of transcatheter aortic valve replacement in the patients with severe aortic stenosis requiring major non-cardiac surgery.

Severe aortic stenosis (AS) is considered as an independent risk factor for perioperative cardiac complications of non-cardiac surgery. Surgical aortic valve replacement should be considered before non-cardiac surgery in patients with symptomatic severe AS. However, recently, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has emerged as an alternative approach for selected AS patients. We sought to determine the safety and efficacy of TAVR in preparation for major non-cardiac surgery. From our retrospective database, seven patients who underwent TAVR in preparation for major non-cardiac surgery were identified, and their clinical and hemodynamic data were collected. After TAVR, a significant reduction in the mean transaortic pressure gradient from 54.0 (Interquartile range (IQR) 47.5-64.5) to 18.0 (IQR 12.5-19.0) mmHg (p = 0.016) and an increase in the calculated aortic valve area from 0.6 (IQR 0.6-0.7) to 1.3 (IQR 1.1-1.5) cm2 (p = 0.022) were noted. Non-cardiac surgery included lung segmentectomy and lymph node dissection, lung lobectomy, ileocecal resection, partial colectomy, partial nephrectomy, nephroureterectomy, laparoscopic nephrectomy, and laparoscopic nephroureterectomy. All the initial non-cardiac surgeries were performed without cardiac complications, under general anesthesia, 37 (IQR 32-74) days after TAVR. Two of the patients eventually needed additional non-cardiac surgery, which was performed uneventfully without the need for additional AS treatment. TAVR was an effective and safe procedure that might reduce the risk of general anesthesia and major non-cardiac surgery in severe AS.

Impact of Complete Revascularization on Long-Term Outcomes After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients With Left Ventricular Dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: The long-term outcomes of complete revascularization (CR) in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remain unclear. Methods and Results: We evaluated a consecutive series of 111 patients with LV ejection fraction ≤35% who underwent isolated first-time CABG: 63 underwent CR and 48 underwent incomplete revascularization (IR). At a median follow-up of 10.1 years, the rates of death from any cause, cardiac death, and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) were significantly greater in the IR group. After adjusting for propensity score, no significant difference was found between the CR and IR groups regarding death from any cause (hazard ratio [HR], 1.45; 95% CI: 0.75-2.81; P=0.271) and cardiac death (HR, 1.45; 95% CI: 0.68-3.10; P=0.337). In contrast, IR increased the risk of MACCE (HR, 1.92; 95% CI: 1.08-3.41; P=0.027), which was principally attributed to an increased risk of repeat revascularization (HR, 3.92; 95% CI: 1.34-11.44; P=0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Although IR was not significantly associated with an increased risk of long-term mortality in patients with LV dysfunction who underwent CABG, CR might reduce the risks of repeat revascularization and subsequent MACCE.

Prognostic Impact of Computed Tomography-Derived Abdominal Fat Area on Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

BACKGROUND: Obesity has previously been identified as an indicator of good prognosis in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), an association known as the "obesity paradox". We investigated whether abdominal total fat area (TFA), visceral fat area (VFA), or subcutaneous fat area (SFA) are prognostic indicators of long-term clinical outcome in patients undergoing TAVI. Methods and Results: We retrospectively analyzed 100 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI between December 2013 and April 2017. TFA, VFA, and SFA were measured from routine pre-procedural computed tomography (CT). Patients were divided into 2 groups according to median TFA, VFA, or SFA, and we investigated the association of abdominal fat area with adverse clinical events, including all-cause death and re-hospitalization due to worsening heart failure. At a median follow-up of 665 days, patients with higher SFA had significantly lower incidence of the composite outcome and all-cause death compared with patients with lower SFA (15.0% vs. 37.7%, P=0.025; and 8.9% vs. 23.7%, P=0.047, respectively). In contrast, patients with higher TFA or VFA did not show significant reduction in the incidences of the composite outcome or all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS: CT-derived SFA had prognostic value in patients undergoing TAVI.