Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has entered a new and critical stage after nearly 20 years of rapid development in China. There are various types of TAVR valves with different advantages. TAVR can be performed through various approaches such as transfemoral artery, transapical, trans-carotid artery, or trans-ascending aorta. The first two are more common. Echocardiography plays an important role in the perioperative period of TAVR. Compared to transfemoral approach, transapical TAVR has different key points in perioperative echocardiography which is lack of unified and accurate standards. This standard is specially formulated to focus on the key points of echocardiography in preoperative screening, intraoperative monitoring and postoperative follow-up in order to promote the safe and effective application of transapical TAVR in the clinic.
In recent years, heart valve disease has been increasing year by year. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become the first-line surgical method for patients with severe aortic stenosis due to the advantages of small surgical trauma and rapid postoperative recovery. In the context of the rapid development of TAVR, the postoperative complications of TAVR seriously affect the surgical success rate and patient prognosis. Therefore, the prevention and nursing of complications after TAVR are particularly important. This article will review the assessment, prevention and care of the complications such as arrhythmia, vascular complications, perivalvular leakage, stroke, and acute renal failure after TAVR in combination with the current situation at home and abroad, in order to enhance the clinical medical workers’ understanding of the complications.
We update the "2021 expert consensus on clinical pathway for transcatheter aortic valve replacement in China" using the Delphi method. By searching for evidence related to the clinical pathways of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in PubMed, CIKI, and Wanfang Database over the past four years, 35 core viewpoints were proposed in four directions: TAVR team composition and clinical evaluation, perioperative imaging assessment, surgical process, and perioperative and postoperative long-term management of patients. The specific updates include: refining the responsibilities and composition of the TAVR team, clarifying the steps and content of clinical evaluation; emphasizing the core position of CT in perioperative imaging assessment, and introducing the application of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, numerical simulation, and 3D printing; optimizing the TAVR surgical process, including anesthesia selection, access establishment, valve selection and release, and others; and proposing management strategies for special types of patients (such as emergency TAVR, simplified TAVR, pure aortic regurgitation, combined coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation). In addition, the consensus also emphasizes the importance of postoperative follow-up and rehabilitation, and provides detailed antithrombotic and rehabilitation guidance. The update of this consensus will further promote the standardized development of TAVR technology in China and improve clinical treatment effects.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the predictive factors of new-onset conduction abnormalities(NOCAs) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients. MethodsThe CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data, PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMbase databases were electronically searched to collect the relevant studies on NOCAs after TAVR in patients with BAV from inception to December 5, 2022. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed by using RevMan 5.4 software. ResultsSix studies involving 758 patients with BAV were included. The results of the meta-analysis showed that age (MD=−1.48, 95%CI −2.73 to −0.23, P=0.02), chronic kidney disease (OR=0.14, 95%CI 0.06 to 0.34, P<0.01), preoperative left bundle branch block (LBBB) (OR=2.84, 95%CI 1.11 to 7.23, P=0.03), membranous septum length (MSL) (MD=0.93, 95%CI 0.05 to 1.80, P=0.04), implantation depth (ID) (MD=−2.06, 95%CI −2.96 to −1.16, P<0.01), the difference between MSL and ID (MD=3.05, 95%CI 1.92 to 4.18, P<0.01), and ID>MSL (OR=0.27, 95%CI 0.15 to 0.49, P<0.01) could be used as predictors of NOCAs. ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that age, chronic kidney disease, LBBB, MS, ID, the difference between MSL and ID, and ID>MSL could be used as predictors of NOCAs. Due to the limited quantity and quality of included studies, more high-quality studies are required to verify the above conclusion.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is an effective treatment for aortic stenosis currently, especially in elderly, surgical high-risk, and surgical procedures-intolerant patients with severe aortic stenosis. After several generations of updates in design and function, the self-expandable valves have shown significant efficacy in treating aortic stenosis patients with bicuspid aortic valve, bioprosthetic valve failure or small annulus, and superiority in terms of valve durability, and the favorable hemodynamic outcomes could translate into clinical endpoint benefit. This literature review summarizes the advantages and recent advances of the self-expandable valves in transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) using the SAPIEN 3 system. MethodsThis was a prospective, multicenter, single arm study in 4 centers in China. The clinical data of 50 patients with high-risk symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVR using the SAPIEN 3 system from June 2017 to June 2019 were analyzed, including 27 males and 23 females aged 76.8±6.1 years. ResultsThe Society of Thoracic Surgeon score was 6.0%±2.8%. Totally, 20.0% of patients had severe bicuspid aortic stenosis. The operation time was 41.8±16.5 min and the hospital stay time was 8.5±5.0 d. At the postoperative 30-day follow-up, no all-cause mortality occurred and the device success rate was 89.5%. Major vascular complications occurred in one (2.0%) patient, stroke in one (2.0%) patient, new pacemaker implantation in one (2.0%) patient, as well as coronary artery obstruction in one (2.0%) patient. There was no moderate or moderate/severe paravalvular leak. The aortic pressure gradient was decreased from 49.2±16.2 mm Hg before the operation to 12.4±4.6 mm Hg at the postoperative 30-day follow-up, and the valvular area was increased from 0.6±0.3 cm2 to 1.3±0.3 cm2 (P<0.01). Moreover, the New York Heart Association classification in 83.7% of the patients was improved during the follow-up. ConclusionThis pre-marketing multicenter study has demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of transfemoral TAVR with the SAPIEN 3 transcatheter valve system in Chinese aortic stenosis patients at high risk for surgery.
Aortic regurgitation (AR) is a common heart valve disease, and aortic valve replacement is an important treatment at present. With the advent of new methods such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement, patients with high-risk AR have been effectively treated. In particular, the emergence of new generations of transcatheter prosthetic valve systems has made the treatment of patients with AR more and more abundant. To treat patients with AR, it is necessary to establish the concept of “once diagnosed, lifelong management”, delay the progression of the disease through various means, and ultimately reduce the mortality of patients with AR and improve the quality of life. Therefore, this article reviews the basic characteristics of AR patients in China, the development and challenges faced by transcatheter aortic valve replacement surgery, follow-up, and postoperative rehabilitation plans, aiming to help physicians use different methods in a reasonable and standardized manner when facing AR patients with different causes and disease progression, and achieve the goal of achieving correct and effective lifelong management of AR patients.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) techniques have been rapidly developed in recent years. Current guidelines and studies mainly focus on aortic stenosis patients treated by transfemoral approach, but they are not completely appropriate to patients with isolated aortic regurgitation or other patients who need transapical TAVR (TA-TAVR), which affects the standardized treatment of those patients. Therefore, our team pronounced the operational standards for TA-TAVR, based on fully reviewing the literatures worldwide, combined with the opinions of experts from 15 heart centers with rich experience in carrying out TA-TAVR in China. This standard aims to provide clinicians with standardized diagnosis and treatment principles of TA-TAVR and improve the quality of TA-TAVR in China.
Patients with severe aortic stenosis will gradually develop symptoms of heart failure. Aortic valve replacement is an effective treatment at present, while transcatheter aortic valve replacement is suitable for high-risk elderly patients. This article reports a patient with severe aortic valve stenosis and severe scoliosis who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Detailed preoperative evaluation and avoidance of peripheral vascular injury were the characteristics of this case. The patient was an elderly male with severe scoliosis. After fully evaluating the risks and benefits of surgery, a surgical strategy was formulated. The patient was in the supine position to complete the preoperative CT, and then the long sheath was used to pass through the thoracoabdominal aortic angle during the operation. After angiography-assisted adjustment and determination of the optimal release angle, the valve was accurately released, and the operation went smoothly without serious peripheral vascular damage.
“Valve-in-valve” technique is an effective method to treat the bioprosthesis structural valve degeneration. In this paper, an 82-year-old male patient with severe aortic valve regurgitation had underwent surgical aortic valve replacement. He had a bioprosthesis structural valve degeneration which caused severe aortic stenosis more than 3 years after surgery. His symptoms of chest distress and short breath were aggravated progressively, and not relieved by conventional treatment. As the deterioration in his unstabled circulation system, an emergency transcatheter aortic valve replacement was conducted for him. The operation was finally successful, the symptoms were relived significantly after operation, and then the follow-up indicated that he had a good recovery.