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Abstract Background and Aims Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a promising option for the treatment of severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Although the incidence of bioprosthetic valve deterioration (SVD) after TAVR has been reported to be lower than after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), hemodialysis itself is still associated with a high risk of SVD. Until now, the factors that determine the prognosis of TAVR in hemodialysis patients were unknown. We previously reported that preoperative hypomagnesemia was correlated with an increase in postoperative mean aortic valve pressure gradient (MPG), an index of bioprosthetic valve stenosis as one of the indicators of SVD, in hemodialysis patients (Ren Fail. 2022 Dec;44(1):1083-1089). However, the study had a limited sample size of 24 cases, which raised concerns about statistical power. Therefore, we re-evaluate predictors of SVD and life expectancy in a larger number of post-TAVR hemodialysis patients. Methods From April 2012 to November 2021, all 100 hemodialysis patients treated with TAVR at Osaka University Hospital were included in the analysis. Pre- and post-operative demographic and laboratory data were analyzed by linear mixed-effects model and cox proportional hazards model. Results During the follow-up period (maximum 7 years), 4 out of 100 patients required re-TAVR (valve-in-valve) due to valve stenosis. The MPG increased over time with the lower preoperative serum Mg concentration (linear mixed-effects mode; +1.40 mmHg/year per 1mg/dl lower in Mg, p=0.006). However, serum calcium, phosphate, and intact PTH levels had no significant effect on the increase in MPG. In addition, a higher preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was associated with a lower risk of death in a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model (hazard ratio HR 0.97 per 1% increase in LVEF; P=0.02). Conclusions Consistent with our previous report, preoperative hypomagnesemia was associated with increased MPG after TAVR. In addition, preoperative low cardiac function (LVEF40%) may be a risk factor for postoperative mortality in dialysis patients. This was a single-center observational study, and the number of patients was still small, so our data may not be necessarily applicable to every patient. Further research is needed to identify a prognostic predictor of SVD and mortality, that will lead to the prevention of adverse outcomes in hemodialysis patients.
Masuyama et al. (Wed,) studied this question.