Trends in complete heart block after transcatheter aortic valve replacement: A population based analysis

To define the national rate of complete heart block (CHB) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and its impact on procedural mortality, overall cost, and length of hospital stay.

CHB leading to permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation is one of the most common complications post TAVR. National data on the temporal trend of CHB post TAVR are lacking.

We queried the 2012-2014 National Inpatient Sample databases to identify all patients who underwent TAVR. Patients with preoperative pacemakers or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators were excluded. Association between CHB and outcomes, and overall trends in rate of CHB, PPM implantation, and inpatient mortality were examined.

Of 35,500 TAVR procedures, 3,675 (10.4%) had CHB. Overall, occurrence of CHB significantly increased from 8.4% in 2012 to 11.8% in 2014 (adjusted OR per year: 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-1.29, P trend <0.001). During the same period, PPM implantation increased from 9.5 to 13.7% (adjusted OR per year: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.16-1.28, P trend <0.001). Patients with CHB had higher odds of in-hospital mortality when compared to patients without CHB (5.9% vs. 4.2%, adjusted OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.12-1.56; p = 0.001). Moreover, CHB was also associated with longer length of stay (LOS) and higher hospitalization cost.

There was a significant increase in rates of CHB and PPM implantation over the study period. Development of CHB was associated with increased in-hospital mortality, LOS, and hospitalization cost.