Does pre-procedural Relative Valve Load (RVL) predict 1-year all-cause mortality in patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVR?
A pre-procedural Relative Valve Load (RVL) ≤7.95ml/m2 is a strong independent predictor of 1-year all-cause mortality in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVR, potentially aiding in clinical decision-making.
OBJECTIVE: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) reduces left ventricular (LV) afterload and improves prognosis in aortic stenosis (AS) patients. However, LV afterload consists of both valvular and arterial loads, and the benefits of TAVR may be attenuated if the arterial load dominates. We proposed a new hemodynamic index, the Relative Valve Load (RVL), a ratio of mean gradient (MG) and valvuloarterial impedance (Zva), to describe the relative contribution of the valvular load to the global LV load, and examined whether RVL predicted patient outcome following TAVR. METHODS: A total of 258 patients with symptomatic severe AS (indexed aortic valve area (AVA)0.75cm2, %SWL≤25% and Zva>5mmHg/ml/m2 despite equivalent or better sensitivity. In multivariable Cox analysis, RVL≤7.95ml/m2 was an independent predictor of all cause mortality (HR 3.2, CI 1.8-5.9; p<0.0001). RVL≤7.95ml/m2 was predictive of all cause mortality in both low flow and normal flow severe AS. CONCLUSIONS: RVL is a strong predictor of all-cause mortality in severe AS patients undergoing TAVR. A pre-procedural RVL≤7.95ml/m2 identifies AS patients at increased risk of death despite TAVR and may assist with decision making on the benefits of TAVR.
Yousef et al. (Thu,) studied this question.