Elevated Fasting Glucose and C-Reactive Protein Levels Predict Increased All-Cause Mortality after Elective Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Surgical aortic valve replacement in the elderly is now being supplanted by transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Scoring systems to predict survival after catheter-based procedures are understudied. Both diabetes (DM) and underlying inflammatory conditions are common in patients undergoing TAVI, but their impact remains understudied in this patient group. We examined 560 consecutive TAVI procedures and identified eight pre-procedural factors: age, body mass index (BMI), DM, fasting blood glucose (BG), left-ventricular ejection fraction (EF), aortic valve (AV) mean gradient, C-reactive protein levels, and serum creatinine levels and studied their impact on survival. The overall mortality rate at 30 days, 1 year and 2 years were 5.2%, 16.6%, and 34.3%, respectively. All-cause mortality was higher in patients with DM (at 30 days: 8.9% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.008; at 1 year: 19.7% vs. 14.9%, p = 0.323; at 2 years: 37.9% vs. 32.2%, p = 0.304). The presence of DM was independently associated with increased 30-day mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 5.38, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24–23.25, p = 0.024). BG levels within 7–11, 1 mmol/L portended an increased risk for 30-day and 2-year mortality compared to normal BG (p = 0.001 and p = 0.027). For each 1 mmol/L increase in BG 30-day mortality increased (HR 1.21, 95% CI, 1.04–1.41, p = 0.015). Reduced EF and elevated CRP were each associated with increased 2-year mortality (p = 0.042 and p = 0.003). DM, elevated BG, reduced EF, and elevated baseline CRP levels each are independent predictors of short- and long-term mortality following TAVI. These easily accessible screening parameters should be integrated into risk-assessment tools for catheter-based aortic valve replacement candidates.