Long-Term Survival in Patients with Moderate Aortic Stenosis

Studies have shown that, when left untreated, severe aortic stenosis (AS) is associated with poor survival (e.g., Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 2017; 10:e006760). However, the prognosis for patients with moderate AS is unclear.

To examine the association between survival and AS severity, investigators evaluated echocardiographic data on 241,303 individuals in the National Echocardiography Database of Australia. Of this cohort, 6.7% had mild AS (mean gradient, 10.0–19.9 mm Hg; peak velocity, 2.0–2.9 m/s; aortic valve area, >1 cm²), 1.4% had moderate AS (mean gradient, 20.0–39.9 mm Hg; peak velocity, 3.0–3.9 m/s; aortic valve area [AVA], >1 cm²), and 2.6% had severe AS (≥40.0 mm Hg; peak velocity, ≥4.0 m/s or AVA, <1.0 cm² in low-flow, low-gradient …