Short-term decrease of left atrial size predicts clinical outcome in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing...

We investigated whether transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) results in a short-term decrease in left atrium (LA) size and whether such decrease may predict patients' clinical outcome.

Increased LA size is a hallmark of severe aortic stenosis (AS) and is associated with adverse patients' cardiovascular outcome. Whether TAVR may lead to a decrease in LA size is not known.

Hundred and four patients with severe symptomatic AS and dilated LA undergoing TAVR were enrolled. LA volume was assessed by echocardiography before and shortly after TAVR (median time: 7 days). Composite rate of death and hospitalization for acutely decompensated heart failure (HF) was recorded and clinical status was assessed through NYHA-class evaluation at 12 months median follow-up. After TAVR, 49 patients (47%) demonstrated a decrease in LA volume. Despite a similar baseline NYHA class, patients with decrease in LA size had significant better improvement in clinical status respect to patients with unvaried LA size (NYHA post: 1.2 ± 0.6 vs. 1.8 ± 1.1, p = .001; NYHA reduction: -1.6 ± 0.9 vs. -0.9 ± 1.0, p = .002, respectively). Moreover, these patients had a significantly reduced rate of death or HF-hospitalization (4 vs. 29%, p = .001) and a significantly longer event-free-survival from Kaplan-Meier curves (p = .003). COX regression analysis showed that, among echocardiographic parameters, decrease in LA size was an independent predictor of clinical outcome (HR: 0.149, CI: 0.034-0.654, p = .012).

The lack of decrease in LA size shortly after TAVR is associated with significantly higher rates of death and HF-hospitalization, as well as with impaired improvement in clinical status during long-term follow-up.