HRQoL outcomes not improving for transapical TAVR

(HealthDay)—Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes have not improved for patients undergoing transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TA-TAVR), according to research published online June 9 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Hemal Gada, M.D., M.B.A., from the Robert Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J., and colleagues examined HRQoL outcomes at one-, six-, and 12-month follow-up among 875 patients undergoing TA-TAVR in the Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valve (PARTNER) nonrandomized continued access (NRCA) registry. The authors compared outcomes with those of the TA-TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) patients in the PARTNER randomized controlled trial (RCT), which represented the first exposure to TA-TAVR for many sites. HRQoL, as assessed by the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) overall summary score, was the primary end point.

The researchers observed no difference in the primary end point between the NRCA TA-TAVR and RCT TA-TAVR groups at any follow-up time points. At one month, there were small differences on several KCCQ subscales in favor of the NRCA cohort. No significant differences were seen in the KCCQ overall summary scale or any of the disease-specific or generic subscales between the NRCA-TAVR and the RCT SAVR cohorts

"These findings have important implications for patient selection for TAVR when transfemoral access is not an option," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.