Cardiac Reversibility and Survival After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Patients With Low‐Gradient Aortic Stenosis

Abstract

Background Prognostic implications of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in low‐gradient (LG) aortic stenosis (AS) remain controversial. The authors hypothesized that differences in cardiac functional recovery may solve this ongoing controversy. The aim was to evaluate clinical outcomes and the response of left ventricular (LV) function following TAVI in patients with LG AS. Methods and Results This multicenter retrospective study included 1742 patients with severe AS undergoing TAVI between January 2015 and March 2019. Patients were subdivided into low‐flow (LF) LG, normal‐flow (NF) LG, LF high‐gradient, and NF high‐gradient AS groups according to the mean gradient of the aortic valve (LG <40 mm Hg) and LV stroke volume index (LF <35 mL/m 2 ). Outcomes and changes in echocardiographic parameters after TAVI were compared between the groups. A total of 227 patients (13%) had reduced ejection fraction, and 486 patients (28%) had LG AS (LF‐LG 143 [8%]; NF‐LG 343 [20%]). During a median follow‐up period of 747 days, 301 patients experienced a composite end point of cardiovascular death and rehospitalization for cardiovascular events, which was higher in the LF‐LG and NF‐LG groups than in the high‐gradient groups. LG AS was independently associated with the primary outcome (hazard ratio, 1.69; P <0.001). Among 1239 patients with follow‐up echocardiography, LG AS showed less improvement in the LV mass index and LV end‐diastolic volume compared with high‐gradient AS after 1 year, while LV recovery was similar between the LF AS and NF AS groups. Conclusions LG AS was associated with poorer outcomes and LV recovery, regardless of flow status after TAVI. Careful evaluation of AS severity may be required in LG AS to provide TAVI within the appropriate time and advanced care afterward.