AT CRT 2017
WASHINGTON (FRONTLINE MEDICAL NEWS) – The risk of adverse events from a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) does not appear to be significantly increased in those who have undergone a recent percutaneous intervention (PCI), according to a matched retrospective analysis.
“PCI prior to TAVR in patients with severe aortic stenosis and significant coronary artery disease appears to be feasible and safe,” reported Ashwat S. Dhillon, MD , a cardiology fellow at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, at CRT 2017 sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Washington Hospital Center.
The conclusion that PCI can be performed safely prior to TAVR was drawn from a series of 286 patients treated with TAVR over a nearly 5-year period. Within this group, 29 patients underwent PCI for CAD within 30 days prior to TAVR. They were matched in a 1:1 fashion based on age, sex, history of prior myocardial infarction, and left ventricular ejection fraction to patients undergoing PCI without subsequent TAVR.
The primary endpoint of the analysis was a composite of major in-hospital adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) that included MI and stroke. In addition, the two groups were compared for mortality and readmission rates 30 days after TAVR.
Most of the patients (69%) were male, and the mean age was 77 years. About 20% had a prior MI, roughly 30% had a prior coronary artery bypass graft procedure, and approximately 30% had a prior PCI. There were numerical differences in the rates of hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes when the two groups were compared, but none were statistically significant.
The procedural details of the PCI were also similar, according to Dr. Dhillon. Although there was a significantly greater proportion of patients treated for lesions in the left circumflex artery in the group that did not undergo TAVR (31.03% vs. 3.45%; P = .02), there were no significant differences in procedures performed in other arteries. There were also no significant differences in the average number of stents and the average total stent length for those who underwent TAVR relative to those who did not.
The rate of in-hospital MI was 14% in both groups. No patient in either group had a stroke. At 30 days, mortality was 3% in each group. Although 30-day readmissions were higher in the group that underwent both PCI and TAVR than those who underwent PCI alone (10% vs. 0%), the difference did not reach significance.
Data evaluating the safety of performing PCI and TAVR procedures in close proximity is needed because “a significant proportion of patients with severe aortic stenosis have coexisting and significant CAD,” Dr. Dhillon explained. Although he suggested that a larger pool of data is needed to confirm the preliminary findings of this study, he suggested that these data are reassuring.
