Impact of Short-Term Complications on Mortality and Quality of Life After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

The aim of this study was to examine the independent association of short-term complications of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with survival and quality of life at 1 year.

Prior studies have examined the mortality and cost implications of various complications of TAVR. However, many of these complications may primarily affect patients' quality of life after TAVR, which has not been previously studied.

Among patients at intermediate or high surgical risk who underwent TAVR as part of the PARTNER (Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valve) 2 studies and survived 30 days, the association between complications within the 30 days after TAVR and mortality and quality of life at 1 year was examined. Quality of life was assessed using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire and the Short-Form 12. Complications assessed included major and minor stroke, life-threatening and major bleeding, vascular injury, stage 3 acute kidney injury, new pacemaker implantation, and mild and moderate or severe paravalvular leak (PVL). Multivariable models that included all complications as well as baseline clinical factors were used to examine the independent association of each complication with outcomes.

Among 3,763 TAVR patients, major stroke and stage 3 acute kidney injury were associated with markedly increased risk for 1-year mortality, with adjusted hazard ratios of 5.4 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.1 to 9.5) and 4.9 (95% CI: 2.7 to 8.8), respectively, as well as poorer quality of life among survivors (reductions in 1-year Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire overall summary score of 15.1 points [95% CI: 24.8 to 5.3 points] and 14.7 points [95% CI: 25.6 to 3.8 points], respectively). Moderate or severe PVL, life-threatening bleeding, and major bleeding were each associated with a more modest increase in mortality and decrement in quality of life, whereas mild PVL was associated with a small decrease in quality of life. After adjusting for baseline characteristics and other complications, need for a new pacemaker, minor stroke, and vascular injury were not independently associated with poor outcomes.

Among patients undergoing TAVR, similar events are associated with increased mortality and impaired quality of life at 1 year. These results suggest that despite considerable progress, efforts to further reduce stroke, acute kidney injury, bleeding, and moderate or severe PVL are likely to yield important clinical benefits and remain key targets for device iteration and procedural improvement.