The reversibility of cardiac damage after transcatheter aortic valve implantation and short-term outcomes in a real-world setting.

Aims: This study aims to assess the changes in cardiac damage stage in a real-world cohort of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), and to investigate the prognostic value of cardiac damage stage evolution.

Methods and results: Patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing TAVI were retrospectively analysed. A five-stage system based on the presence and extent of cardiac damage assessed by echocardiography was applied before and 6 months after TAVI. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to examine independent prognostic value of the changes in cardiac damage after TAVI. A total of 734 patients with severe AS (mean age, 79.8 ± 7.4 years; 55% male) were included. Before TAVI, 32 (4%) patients did not show any sign of extra-valvular cardiac damage (Stage 0), 85 (12%) had left ventricular damage (Stage 1), 220 (30%) left atrial and/or mitral valve damage (Stage 2), 227 (31%) pulmonary vasculature and/or tricuspid valve damage (Stage 3), and 170 (23%) right ventricular damage (Stage 4). Six months after TAVI, 39% of the patients improved at least one stage in cardiac damage. Staging of cardiac damage at 6 months after TAVI [hazard ratio (HR) per one-stage increase, 1.391; P = 0.035] as well as worsening in the stage of cardiac damage (HR, 3.729; P = 0.005) were independently associated with 2-year all-cause mortality.

Conclusion: More than one-third of patients with severe AS showed an improvement in cardiac damage 6 months after TAVI. Staging cardiac damage at baseline and follow-up may improve risk stratification in patients undergoing TAVI.