Traditional surgical aortic valve replacement is associated with a high risk of serious complications, especially in elderly patients with other preoperative diseases and unable to undergo thoracotomy. Therefore, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is now the accepted standard treatment for patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis at elevated risk for conventional surgical valve replacement. Currently, guidelines propose the use of dual antiplatelet therapy for the prevention of thromboembolic events after TAVI in the patients without an indication for oral anticoagulation. While, this strategy is empiric and largely based on expert consensus extrapolated from the arena of percutaneous coronary intervention. Antithrombotic therapy is associated with a significant occurrence of both thrombotic and bleeding complications, thus, the balance between thrombotic and bleeding risk is critical. This review summarizes current guidelines and the evidence underpinning them and explores the rational for using antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant strategies after TAVI.
Objective To analyze predictive factors, clinical implications and prognosis effects of new-onset conduction block after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Methods The clinical data of 86 patients who underwent TAVI through transfemoral approach from 2019 to 2021 in Fujian Provincial Hospital were retrospectively analyzed, including 59 males and 27 females with an average age of 72.9±8.0 years. The patients were divided into a normal group and a new-onset conduction block group according to whether there was new-onset conduction block after operation, and then the new-onset conduction block group was subdivided into a left bundle branch block (LBBB) group (28 patients) and a complete atrioventricular block (CAVB) group (11 patients). We compared the hemodynamics and TAVI-related complications between the postoperative and early follow-up periods, and used the multivariate logistic regression models to identify risk factors for the new-onset conduction block. Results The median EuroSCORE of all patients were 8 (2) points before the operation. In the postoperative and early follow-up periods, the hemodynamics and TAVI-related complications had no statistical difference between the new-onset conduction block group and the normal group (P>0.05). The incidence of permanent pacemaker implantation (81.8%, 9/11) and mortality due to cardiac causes (18.1%, 2/11) in the CAVB group were significantly higher than those in the normal group and theLBBB group (P<0.05). Female, severe calcification of the aortic valve, too large valve size and deep valve implants were the risk factors for new-onset conduction block after TAVI. ConclusionThe incidence of LBBB and CAVB is high after TAVI, however, both of them do not significantly effect the hemodynamics of the patients. Higher incidence of permanent pacemaker implantation is found in the CAVB group which affects the rate of rehospitalization and mortality. Female patients, severe calcification of the aortic valve, too large valve size and deep valve implants are the risk factors for the new-onset conduction block after TAVI.