Comparison of invasive and non-invasive gradients before and after TAVI and their implications on clinical outcomes.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is recommended for treatment of high-risk aortic stenosis patients. While measuring mean transaortic valve gradient (MG) is crucial in evaluating procedural success, echocardiographic measurements often overestimate direct invasive measurements. This study aimed to examine the discordance between echocardiographic and invasive MGs in TAVI patients and assess their prognostic value on long-term outcomes.

The impact of myocardial injury on outcomes in TAVI patients.

Background: Peri-procedural myocardial injury (PPMI) has been commonly reported after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and may have a potential impact on outcomes. The recent update to the Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC)-3 criteria for PPMI warrants a comparison with the preceding VARC-2 criteria to understand its implications on patient outcomes.

Aims: To assess the prognostic significance of PPMI as defined by VARC-3 versus VARC-2 in TAVI patients and evaluate the predictive value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) for adverse outcomes within 1 year post-TAVI.

Prognostic Impact of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Improvement after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become an efficient and safe alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). While severe aortic stenosis as well as severe aortic regurgitation (AR) are known to negatively impact left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), prior studies have shown that TAVR can lead to an improvement in LVEF. Thus far, little is known about the prognostic implication of LVEF improvement as a sole predictor of outcomes.

Efficacy of catheter-based drug delivery in a hybrid in vitro model of cardiac microvascular obstruction with porcine microthrombi.

Microvascular obstruction (MVO) often occurs in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Diagnosis and treatment of MVO lack appropriate and established procedures. This study focused on two major points by using an in vitro multiscale flow model, which comprised an aortic root model with physiological blood flow and a microfluidic model of the microcirculation with vessel diameters down to 50 μm.

First Report of Evolut Pro+ Transcatheter Aortic Valve-in-Valve in a Degenerated Lotus Valve.

The increasing use of transcatheter aortic valves in patients with aortic stenosis has led to a higher number of valve-in-valve procedures due to gradual valve degeneration. We present a case of a 72-year-old woman who received transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) using a Lotus valve due to severe aortic stenosis, which showed valve degeneration several years after the initial procedure. After heart-team discussion, TAVI-in-TAVI was planned using an Evolut pro+ valve, which allowed for full coverage of the Lotus valve and maintenance of coronary flow, resulting in a well-functioning valve with no regurgitation and normal performance.

Incidence and Outcomes of Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Failed Bioprosthetic Valves.

Introduction: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become a widely used, comparably efficient and safe alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Its utilization continues to grow, especially among younger patients. Despite improvements in durability, degeneration and subsequent re-interventions of failed prosthetic valves are still common.

Dos and don'ts in large animal models of aortic insufficiency.

Aortic insufficiency caused by paravalvular leakage (PVL) is one of the most feared complications following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVI) in patients. Domestic pigs () are a popular large animal model to study such conditions and develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. However, the models based on prosthetic valve implantation are time intensive, costly, and often hamper further hemodynamic measurements such as PV loop and 4D MRI flow by causing implantation-related wall motion abnormalities and degradation of MR image quality.