Mortality after radial-only balloon aortic valvuloplasty: a long-term follow-up and a bridge-to-TAVI analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background The benefits of distal radial balloon aortic valvuloplasty were recently reported: same efficacy as the classical femoral approach, with no vascular complications. The long-term outcomes for these patients remain unknown. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the long-term mortality and the impact of TAVI in a cohort of 30 patients who underwent distal radial (DR) BAV. Results The mean age was 78.3 ± 7.14 years and the median follow-up was 22.8 months. The indication for BAV was stable aortic stenosis in 70% of patients, while 23% of patients had concomitant acute heart failure symptoms and 6.6% of patients were in cardiogenic shock. A total of 16 patients (53.3%) received TAVI during follow-up after their BAV procedure while the remainder only received BAV. All-cause mortality was 20%, with only 1 death (6.3%) in the “BAV + TAVI” group compared to 5 deaths (35.7%) in the “BAV only” group (p = 0.089). All of the TAVI procedures were performed within 7 months after BAV. Cumulative incidence of TAVI was 40.0% at 5 months and 50.0% at 10 months. Cumulative incidence of death was 6.7% at 5 months, 13.3% at 10 months, 16.7% at 15 months, and 20.0% at 25 months. The probability of being alive without TAVI decreased from 53.3% at 5 months to 30.0% at 25 months. Conclusion In the present study, we could show that half of the patients undergoing BAV eventually need TAVI, most of them within 5 months after BAV, and that BAV remains associated with high mortality after the procedure, with 35% of those undergoing isolated BAV dying during short-term follow-up.