Neuroprotective measures throughout the TAVI pathway

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common clinical valvular heart disorder that warrants active treatment. Symptomatic and severe AS is associated with increased morbidity and mortality if left untouched. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an innovative therapeutic modality approved initially for patients with prohibitive surgical risk and subsequently became a mainstream practice and the preferred treatment modality for many patients with severe AS at high and moderate surgical risk. Consistently global TAVI volumes have increased and indications continue to widen toward younger and lower-risk patients. However, periprocedural stroke is one of the most feared complications of TAVI, and when clinically evident, it is often associated with significant increase in mortality, physical disability, social isolation and financial costs. Furthermore, even when clinically overt stroke is not evident following TAVI, highly sensitive imaging modalities have demonstrated new post-procedural ischemic lesions in most patients. Although little is known about the long-term clinical significance of these lesions, there are strong signals showing they might be related with reduced subsequent neurocognitive function. This review provides a comprehensive contemporary insight of the definitions, incidence and temporal trends of stroke in TAVI patients, as well as the mechanisms, etiologies and risk factors for such neurological events. Furthermore, an integrated approach of neuroprotective measures targeted to reduce the incidence of stroke during each phase of the periprocedural TAVI pathway is suggested with a special focus on the role of embolic protective devices.