Sapien 3 Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation With Moderate or Without Predilation

Aortic valve preparation with balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) has been previously considered mandatory during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedures. BAV-inherent risks including stroke, conduction abnormalities, and reduced device profile size established the rationale for safe valve deployment without the need for aggressive valve preparation. We investigate the feasibility and safety of performing Sapien 3 (S3; Edwards Lifesciences) balloon-expandable TAVI with moderate or without predilation (PD).

We examined consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent S3-TAVI at our institution. Overall, 119 patients underwent TAVI without PD and 126 with moderate PD (mean valvuloplasty balloon diameter, 15.3 ± 2.1 mm). TAVI endpoints and adverse events were considered according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC)-2 definitions.

Device success for the entire cohort was 98.8%. PD rates were similar between groups. Total fluoroscopy time and amount of contrast used were lower in the no PD group (13 min vs 16.2 min [P<.001] and 71.3 mL vs 81 mL [P=.03], respectively). All-cause mortality up to 30 days was 0% (0/119) in the no PD group vs 1.6% (2/126) in the moderate PD group (P=.49). VARC-2 defined complication rates at 30 days including cerebrovascular accident were similar between groups. Overall, there was no significant difference in survival rate between both groups (hazard ratio, 3.6; 95% confidence interval, 0.80-16.2; P=.09).

Balloon-expandable TAVI using the S3 device with moderate or without balloon PD is feasible and safe. Omission of PD in appropriate cases was associated with reduced fluoroscopy time and total contrast used without affecting procedural success.