Association between lipoprotein(a) and long-term prognosis in patients receiving transcatheter aortic valve replacement

BACKGROUND

Lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) has been identified as a significant risk factor for aortic stenosis (AS). However, its impact on outcomes post-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) remains unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between Lp(a) levels and long-term outcomes as well as its impact on the bioprosthetic valve degeneration in patients post-TAVR.

METHODS

Patients with severe AS who underwent TAVR were consecutively recruited. Lp(a) was measured before TAVR procedure. The subjects were divided according to levels of Lp(a). The outcomes were all-cause mortality and possible structural valve degeneration (SVD) measured by Doppler echocardiography. Cox regression models and competing risk models were used to explore the association between Lp(a) levels and outcomes.

RESULTS

Of the 601 included patients (mean age: 75.5 ± 7.2, male: 58.7%), 137 patients (22.7%) experienced mortality after a median follow-up of 3.9 years. After multivariable adjustment, elevated Lp(a) (defined as ≥30 mg/dL) was identified as an independent predictor of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.27-2.57, P = .001) and cardiovascular mortality (HR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.12-3.66, P = .020). Elevated Lp(a) was also associated with increased risk of possible SVD (subdistribution HR: 3.40, 95% CI: 1.32-8.79, P = .012). Using a threshold value of 50 mg/dL for elevated Lp(a) still supported the main findings.

CONCLUSION

Elevated baseline Lp(a) levels are associated with poor clinical outcomes and possible SVD in patients with severe AS undergoing TAVR. Further research is warranted to confirm these findings.