Short- and long-term outcomes after transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with chronic lung disease: An analysis from the German Aortic Valve Registry

OBJECTIVES Data from the German Aortic Valve Registry (GARY) were analyzed to determine whether there are differences between patients with and without chronic lung disease (CLD) undergoing TAVI and SAVR and whether TAVI or SAVR is more beneficial in patients with pre-existing CLD. METHODS Follow-up data from GARY registry patients treated from 2014—2015 and from 2018—2019 were incorporated in the analysis. Demographic results for each of the two treatment modalities were evaluated, and patients with and without CLD were compared. In a second step, variables that would have influenced the treatment decision in CLD patients in direction of either SAVR or TAVI were accounted for in the adjusted analysis. This led to a subgroup of 1,385 patients with CLD that was subjected to propensity score weighted analysis to compare outcomes of TAVI and SAVR. RESULTS After exclusion, 11,457 SAVR patients and 2,378 TAVI patients were analyzed. CLD patients were sicker than patients without CLD, although the observed 30-day mortality was lower than expected by three risk scores. Accordingly, long-term survival in CLD patients was lower in both treatment groups than in patients without CLD. Thirty-day mortality was similar in the two treatment groups (SAVR 2.3%, TAVI 3.8%, p = 0.964) in spite of a possible selection bias in favour of SAVR. During a 5-year follow-up, survival after TAVI (44.6%) was significantly lower than after SAVR (56.7%), p = 0.029. CONCLUSIONS Patients with CLD undergoing SAVR or TAVI are generally at higher risk for complications or death after the procedure than patients without CLD. After 5 years, patient-reported outcomes were similar in TAVI and in SAVR patients.