March 2, 2015
The presence of pulmonary hypertension may independently predict poor short- and long-term outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis, researchers reported in The American Journal of Cardiology.
The study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in this population and the long-term effects on pulmonary artery hemodynamics after TAVR. Researchers studied 415 consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis (mean age, 84 years; 47% men; mean STS risk score, 10; mean logistic EuroSCORE, 30). All patients underwent TAVR with the Sapien or Sapien XT heart valves (Edwards Lifesciences) or the CoreValve (Medtronic) from 2007 to 2013 at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.