How Durable Are Transcatheter Aortic Valves?

Very long-term outcomes are still unknown, but two new studies provide reassuring results.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is increasingly used to treat patients with severe aortic stenosis at intermediate to high risk for surgical complications, and trials in low-risk patients are underway. Although short- to intermediate-term results with TAVR are comparable (and, in some cases, superior) to those with surgical AVR (SAVR), durability remains one of this technology's final hurdles. Limitations of previous studies were the high competing risk for nonvalve-related mortality and the lack of standardized definitions for valve deterioration. Two research groups now provide further insights.

Søndergaard and colleagues performed a post hoc analysis of valve durability in the partially industry-funded NOTION trial, which ra…

Reviewing Author

David J. Cohen, MD, MSc

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMedtronic; Edwards Lifesciences; Abbott Vascular; Boston Scientific; St. Francis Hospital

Speaker’s BureauBoston Scientific; ZOLL Medical

Grant/Research SupportEdwards Lifesciences; Abbott Vascular; Boston Scientific; Corvia Medical; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Phillips, Inc.; St. Paul’s Hospital; V-Wave, Inc; ZOLL Medical; CathWorks, ANCORA

Editorial BoardsJACC; American Heart Journal; EuroIntervention; JSCAI; Structural Heart Journal

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT Registry (Co-Chair, Risk Model Development Committee); Cardiovascular Research Foundation (Co-Director, TCT Annual Meeting; Co-Director, New York Valves Annual Meeting)