Aortic valve surgery and survival in patients with moderate or severe aortic stenosis and left ventricular dysfunction.

AIMS: We aimed to determine the frequency of aortic valve surgery (AVR) with or without coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), among patients with moderate/severe aortic stenosis (AS) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD), and its relationship with survival. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Duke Echocardiographic Database (N = 132 804) was queried for patients with mean gradient ≥25 mmHg and/or peak velocity ≥3 m/s and LVSD (left ventricular ejection fraction ≤50%) from 1 January 1995-28 February 2014. For analyses purposes, AS was defined both by mean gradient and calculated aortic valve area (AVA) criteria. Time-dependent indicators of AVR in multivariable Cox models were used to assess the relationship of AVR and all-cause mortality. A total of 1634 patients had moderate (N = 1090, 67%) or severe (N = 544, 33%) AS by mean gradient criteria. Overall, 287 (26%) patients with moderate AS and 263 (48%) patients with severe AS underwent AVR within 5 years of the qualifying echo. There were 863 (53%) deaths observed up to 5 years following index echo. After multivariable adjustment in an inverse probability weighted regression model, AVR was associated with higher 5-year survival amongst patients with moderate AS and severe AS whether classified by AVA or mean gradient criteria. Over all, AVR ± CABG compared with medical therapy was associated with significantly lower mortality [hazard ratio, HR = 0.49 (0.38, 0.62), P < 0.0001]. Compared with CABG alone, CABG + AVR was associated with better survival [HR = 0.18 (0.12, 0.27), P < 0.0001]. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with moderate/severe AS and LVSD, mortality is substantial and amongst those selected for surgery, AVR with or without CABG is associated with higher survival. Research is required to understand factors contributing to current practice patterns and the possible utility of transcatheter approaches in this high-risk cohort.

Temporal Trends in Disease Severity and Predicted Surgical Risk at the Time of Referral for Echocardiography in Patients Diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Calcific aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common underlying pathology in patients undergoing heart valve surgery, with an expected increasing prevalence among the aging population. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified the temporal trends in referral patterns, disease severity, and associated surgical risk among patients with AS between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2012 at the Duke University Hospital. A total of 6103 patients had a finding of mild (n = 3303), moderate (n = 1648), or severe AS (n = 1152) in a native aortic valve. Overall presence of severe AS increased significantly over time (P = 0.009) with the most substantial increase occurring from 2010 and onward. Median age upon referral (P < 0.001) and attendant predicted surgical risk (P < 0.001) increased significantly in the observation period among patients with a finding of severe AS. Among patients with a finding of severe AS, the proportion of patients aged older than 80 years increased to 51.0% in the most recent time period (2010-2012) compared with 32.6% in the preceding time period (P < 0.001 for overall time trend). Similarly, the proportion of patients with a logistic EuroSCORE greater than 20% increased to 21.3% (2010-2012) from 12.1% (pre-2010). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients referred for echocardiography to a high-volume tertiary hospital center, a significant increase in the prevalence of severe AS was observed over time. This trend occurred in parallel with increasing age and predicted surgical risk at referral. Health-care resource planning should account for an increasing number of patients in need of high-risk aortic valve replacements in the near future.

Predictors and progression of aortic stenosis in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

We aimed to characterize the hemodynamic progression of aortic stenosis (AS) in a contemporary unselected cohort of patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. Current guidelines recommend echocardiographic surveillance of hemodynamic progression. However, limited data exist on the expected rate of progression and whether clinical variables are associated with accelerated progression in contemporarily managed patients with AS. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients presenting with AS and explored the trajectory of AS mean gradient over time using generalized estimating equations and fit a longitudinal linear regression model with adjustment for baseline clinical variables. A total of 1,558 patients (median age 72; interquartile range 65 to 79) having mild (n = 982), moderate (n = 363), or severe AS (n = 213) were included. In patients with mild AS at baseline (n = 983), 303 (31%) had progressed to moderate/severe AS/AVR within 5 years of the index echo. In patients with moderate AS, 159 of 363 (44%) had progressed to severe AS/AVR within 2 years of the index echo. The annual change in mean gradient was dependent on baseline AS severity. Average annual increases in mean gradient were 6.8% (95% confidence interval 6.0 to 7.6) and 7.1% (95% confidence interval 4.8 to 9.3) in patients with mild and moderate AS, respectively. In the subset of patients with mild AS at baseline, age (p = 0.0310) and gender (p = 0.0270) had significant interaction with change in mean gradient over time. In patients with moderate AS, age (p <0.0001), gender (p = 0.0346), renal dysfunction (p = 0.0036), and hyperlipidemia (p = 0.0010) demonstrated significant interaction with change in mean gradient over time. In conclusion, although average disease progression was slower than previously reported, a significant proportion of patients with mild and moderate AS progressed to higher grades within the currently recommended time windows for echocardiographic follow-up.

Impaired resting myocardial annular velocities are independently associated with mental stress-induced ischemia in coronary heart disease.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between resting myocardial function as assessed by tissue Doppler myocardial velocities and the propensity to develop mental stress-induced ischemia (MSIMI). BACKGROUND: Tissue Doppler myocardial velocities detect preclinical cardiac dysfunction and clinical outcomes in a range of conditions. However, little is known about the interrelationship between myocardial velocities and the propensity to develop MSIMI compared with exercise stress-induced myocardial ischemia. METHODS: Resting annular myocardial tissue Doppler velocities were obtained in 225 patients with known coronary heart disease who were subjected to both conventional exercise stress testing as well as a battery of 3 mental stress tests. Diastolic early (e') and late (a') as well as systolic (s') velocities were obtained, and the eas index, an integrated measure of myocardial velocities, was calculated as e'/(a' × s'). MSIMI was defined as: 1) the development or worsening of regional wall motion abnormality; 2) a reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 8%; and/or 3) ischemic ST-segment changes during 1 or more of the 3 mental stress tests. RESULTS: A total of 98 of 225 patients (43.7%) exhibited MSIMI. Patients developing MSIMI had significantly lower s' (7.0 ± 1.7 vs. 7.5 ± 1.2, p = 0.016) and a' (8.9 ± 1.8 vs. 10.0 ± 1.9, p < 0.001) at baseline, whereas e' did not differ (6.5 ± 1.7 vs. 6.5 ± 1.8, p = 0.85). Furthermore, the eas index was significantly higher (0.11 ± 0.04 vs. 0.09 ± 0.03, p < 0.0001). The eas index remained significantly associated with the propensity to develop MSIMI (odds ratio per 0.05-U increase: 1.85; 95% confidence interval: 1.21 to 2.82; p = 0.004) after adjustment for resting left ventricular ejection fraction, resting wall motion index score, sex, and social circumstances of living. There was no association between resting eas index and exercise stress-induced myocardial ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: MSIMI but not exercise stress-induced myocardial ischemia is independently associated with resting abnormalities in myocardial systolic and late diastolic velocities as well as the integrated measure of the eas index in patients with known coronary artery disease. (Responses of Myocardial Ischemia to Escitalopram Treatment [REMIT]; NCT00574847).