Balloon aortic valvuloplasty in the era of transcatheter aortic valve replacement: acute and long-term outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The use of balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) has resurged since the development of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The aim of our study was to determine the procedural and long-term outcomes of patients treated by BAV in the early TAVR era. METHODS: From 2005 to 2008, 323 consecutive patients presenting with severe aortic stenosis were treated by BAV in our institution. RESULTS: Mean age and logistic EuroSCORE were 80.5 ± 9.9 years and 28.7% ± 12.5%, respectively. The effective orifice area increased from 0.68 ± 0.25 to 1.12 ± 0.39 cm(2) (P < .001) after BAV. Inhospital major complications occurred in 22 patients (6.8%), with a mortality rate of 2.5%. Eighty-five patients (26.3%) were bridged to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR, 9.6%) or TAVR (16.7%). Twenty-eight patients (8.7%) had at least 1 repeat BAV. Two hundred ten patients (65%) received only medical therapy post-BAV. Mean duration of follow-up was 20.7 ± 20.0 months. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that survival after single BAV was poor. Patients treated by BAV followed by SAVR or TAVR had the highest long-term survival rate (P < .001). Multivariable analysis revealed that logistic EuroSCORE, severe aortic regurgitation and stroke complications post-BAV, and medical therapy post-BAV were independent predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest that BAV is an acceptable bridge to SAVR or TAVR in a very high-risk population not immediately suitable for definitive therapy. Balloon aortic valvuloplasty remains only a brief temporizing procedure with a poor long-term outcome without subsequent definitive therapy.

Design and Rationale of the National Tunisian Registry of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Protocol for a Prospective Multicenter Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery diseases remain the leading cause of death in the world. The management of this condition has improved remarkably in the recent years owing to the development of new technical tools and multicentric registries. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the in-hospital and 1-year clinical outcomes of patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Tunisia. METHODS: We will conduct a prospective multicentric observational study with patients older than 18 years who underwent PCI between January 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020. The primary end point is the occurrence of a major adverse cardiovascular event, defined as cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, or target vessel revascularization with either repeat PCI or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The secondary end points are procedural success rate, stent thrombosis, and the rate of redo PCI/CABG for in-stent restenosis. RESULTS: In this study, the demographic profile and the general risk profile of Tunisian patients who underwent PCI and their end points will be analyzed. The complexity level of the procedures and the left main occlusion, bifurcation occlusion, and chronic total occlusion PCI will be analyzed, and immediate as well as long-term results will be determined. The National Tunisian Registry of PCI (NATURE-PCI) will be the first national multicentric registry of angioplasty in Africa. For this study, the institutional ethical committee approval was obtained (0223/2020). This trial consists of 97 cardiologists and 2498 patients who have undergone PCI with a 1-year follow-up period. Twenty-eight catheterization laboratories from both public (15 laboratories) and private (13 laboratories) sectors will enroll patients after receiving informed consent. Of the 2498 patients, 1897 (75.9%) are managed in the public sector and 601 (24.1%) are managed in the private sector. The COVID-19 pandemic started in Tunisia in March 2020; 719 patients (31.9%) were included before the COVID-19 pandemic and 1779 (60.1%) during the pandemic. The inclusion of patients has been finished, and we expect to publish the results by the end of 2022. CONCLUSIONS: This study would add data and provide a valuable opportunity for real-world clinical epidemiology and practice in the field of interventional cardiology in Tunisia with insights into the uptake of PCI in this limited-income region. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04219761; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04219761. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR1-10.2196/24595.

Prospective analysis of 30-day safety and performance of transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation with Edwards SAPIEN XT versus SAPIEN prostheses.

BACKGROUND: A new generation of balloon-expandable valves (e.g. Edwards SAPIEN XT) enables the use of a decreased sheath size using the NovaFlex™ delivery system for transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). However, there are few data analysing the efficacy and safety of this new prosthesis. AIMS: To evaluate periprocedural and 30-day clinical outcomes using the Edwards SAPIEN XT compared with the first-generation Edwards SAPIEN prosthesis. METHODS: Between May 2006 and October 2011, consecutive high-risk or non-operable patients with severe aortic stenosis had TAVI using an Edwards SAPIEN or SAPIEN XT prosthesis. Valve Academic Research Consortium endpoints were used. RESULTS: Of 250 patients who underwent TAVI, 190 were performed transfemorally (78 SAPIEN and 112 SAPIEN XT). Transfemoral access was possible more often using SAPIEN XT (112/123 [91.1%] vs 78/127 [61.4%]; P<0.001). Mean logistic EuroSCORE was significantly lower in the SAPIEN XT group (18.1±11.0% vs 27.3±11.1%; P<0.0001), and the iliofemoral artery minimal lumen diameter was smaller (6.7±1.2 vs 8.5±1.3mm; P<0.0001). Device success was similar in both groups (95.5% for SAPIEN XT and 93.6% for SAPIEN), as was the 30-day combined safety endpoint (15.2% and 17.9%, respectively). At 30days, prosthesis performance was similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term safety and performance analysis of the latest generation of balloon-expandable valve, the SAPIEN XT, seem similar to the previous generation. However, transfemoral implantation is more often possible, related to sheath size reduction.

Transfemoral aortic valve replacement with the Edwards SAPIEN and Edwards SAPIEN XT prosthesis using exclusively local anesthesia and fluoroscopic guidance: feasibility and 30-day outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: The authors report the feasibility and 30-day outcomes of transfemoral aortic valve replacement (TAVR), using the Edwards SAPIEN (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California) and Edwards SAPIEN XT (Edwards Lifesciences) prosthesis, implanted using exclusively local anesthesia and fluoroscopic guidance. BACKGROUND: Transfemoral TAVR is often managed with general anesthesia. However, a simplified percutaneous approach using local anesthesia has become more popular because it offers multiple advantages in an elderly and fragile population. METHODS: Between May 2006 and January 2011, the authors prospectively evaluated 151 consecutive patients (logistic EuroSCORE: 22.8 ± 11.8%) who underwent TAVR (SAPIEN: n = 78, SAPIEN XT: n = 73) using only local anesthesia and fluoroscopic guidance. The primary endpoint was a combination of all-cause mortality, major stroke, life-threatening bleeding, stage 3 acute kidney injury (AKI), periprocedural myocardial infarction (MI), major vascular complication, and repeat procedure for valve-related dysfunction at 30 days. RESULTS: Transarterial femoral approach was surgical in all SAPIEN procedures and percutaneous in 97.3% of SAPIEN XT, using the ProStar vascular closure device, and was well tolerated in all cases. Conversion to general anesthesia was required in 3.3% (SAPIEN cases) and was related to complications. Vasopressors were required in 5.5%. Procedural success was 95.4%. The combined-safety endpoint was reached in 15.9%, including overall mortality (6.6%), major stroke (2.0%), life-threatening bleeding (7.9%), stage 3 AKI (0.7%), periprocedural MI (1.3%), major vascular complication (7.9%), and repeat procedure for valve-related dysfunction (2.0%) at 30 days. A permanent pacemaker was required in 5.3%. CONCLUSIONS: This single-center, prospective registry demonstrated the feasibility and safety of a simplified transfemoral TAVR performed using only local anesthesia and fluoroscopic guidance in high surgical risk patients with severe aortic stenosis.

Frequency of conduction disturbances after transcatheter implantation of an Edwards Sapien aortic valve prosthesis.

We evaluated the incidence of conduction abnormalities and requirement for permanent pacemaker in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with the Edwards Sapien prosthesis. In 2009, >8,000 patients were treated with TAVI using 1 of the 2 commercialized models of bioprosthesis (Edwards Sapien, Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California; and CoreValve, Medtronic, Irvine, California). Occurrence of conduction abnormalities including complete atrioventricular block requiring permanent pacemaker has been reported after TAVI with the 2 models of valve, more frequently with the CoreValve. We analyzed standard 12-lead electrocardiograms of 69 consecutive patients in whom an Edwards Sapien prosthesis was successfully implanted. Electrocardiograms were examined before treatment, at day 1, and at 1-month follow-up. Heart rate, PR and QT intervals and QRS duration were measured and the presence of a first-, second-, or third-degree atrioventricular block was documented. There was a slight increase in heart rate and a discrete decrease in QT interval at day 1. These values had returned to baseline values at 1 month. There was no change in PR interval but a transitory increase in QRS duration was noted. Frequency of left bundle branch block increased from 14.5% at baseline to 27.5% at day 1 with a decreased incidence at day 30 (21.3%). Permanent pacemaker was required in only 3 patients (4.3%). In conclusion, in our experience, conductive disorders and requirement of a definitive pacemaker after implantation of an Edwards Sapien aortic bioprosthesis are infrequent. The physical properties of this prosthesis may explain this observation.