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Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become a mainstay of therapy for severe calcific aortic stenosis, but how does it perform for aortic insufficiency? Researchers used a large U.S. inpatient database to evaluate 15,000 patients with pure aortic insufficiency who underwent TAVR (an off-label indication) or received surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) during 2016 to 2017. About 6% of patients underwent TAVR; TAVR patients were significantly older than SAVR patients (mean ages, 78 vs. 64) and had more comorbidities.
After statistical adjustments to account for baseline differences (propensity matching), in-hospital mortality was similar in the two groups (TAVR, 2.7%; SAVR, 3.2%). TAVR patients had significantly fewer respira…