Publication Date

10-1-2014

Journal

The Texas Heart Journal

DOI

10.14503/THIJ-13-3757

PMID

25425977

Publication Date(s)

October 2014

Language

English

PMCID

PMC4189346

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

9-1-2014

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-Print

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

Aortic valve stenosis/therapy, balloon valvuloplasty/adverse effects/methods/mortality, disease management, heart valve prosthesis implantation/methods, patient selection, risk assessment/methods, treatment outcome

Abstract

The development of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has increased the use of balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) in treating aortic stenosis. We evaluated our use of BAV in an academic tertiary referral center with a developing TAVI program.

We reviewed 69 consecutive stand-alone BAV procedures that were performed in 62 patients (mean age, 77 ± 10 yr; 62% men; baseline mean New York Heart Association functional class, 3 ± 1) from January 2009 through December 2012. Enrollment for the CoreValve® clinical trial began in January 2011. We divided the study cohort into 2 distinct periods, defined as pre-TAVI (2009–2010) and TAVI (2011–2012). We reviewed clinical, hemodynamic, and follow-up data, calculating each BAV procedure as a separate case.

Stand-alone BAV use increased 145% from the pre-TAVI period to the TAVI period. The mean aortic gradient reduction was 13 ± 10 mmHg. Patients were successfully bridged as intended to cardiac or noncardiac surgery in 100% of instances and to TAVI in 60%. Five patients stabilized with BAV subsequently underwent surgical aortic valve replacement with no operative deaths. The overall in-hospital mortality rate (17.4%) was highest in emergent patients (61%).

The implementation of a TAVI program was associated with a significant change in BAV volumes and indications. Balloon aortic valvuloplasty can successfully bridge patients to surgery or TAVI, although least successfully in patients nearer death. As TAVI expands to more centers and higher-risk patient groups, BAV might become integral to collaborative treatment decisions by surgeons and interventional cardiologists.

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