ObjectiveTo investigate the operation of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), the use of TAVR instruments and the current situation of TAVR-related nursing in our country, to reveal the characteristics of TAVR in various hospitals in our country, and to provide reference data for improving perioperative nursing and industry development of TAVR. MethodsA questionnaire survey was conducted among the head nurses of the cardiac catheterization laboratories of 51 hospitals in China that carried out TAVR operations, with a total of 5 items and 23 questions. The current situation of TAVR operation methods, intraoperative instruments and nursing care in China were analyzed. ResultsThe number of hospitals in China which started conducting TAVR and the beginning year were: 2 in 2010, 1 in 2012, 1 in 2013, 1 in 2015, 11 in 2016, 13 in 2017, 15 in 2018 and 7 in 2019; the number of transfemoral TAVR in 2019: 32 (62.75%) hospitals conducted on less than 20 patients, 7 (13.73%) hospitals 20-<50 patients, 6 (11.76%) hospitals 50-100 patients and 6 (11.76%) hospitals more than 100 patients; TAVR strategies adopted by most hospitals were: general anesthesia (90.20%), the use of vascular sealers (80.39%), backing by cardiac surgeon (74.51%) and using homemade prosthetic valves. Conclusion At present, the number of TAVR carried out in Chinese hospitals is still far behind that of developed countries in Europe and the United States. Our country has adopted the form of multidisciplinary cardiac team cooperation and formed a TAVR nursing model with Chinese characteristics.
Patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) are characterized by asymmetric anatomy, severe calcification and combined aortic dilatation. Compared with tricuspid aortic valve stenosis patients, patients with BAV stenosis confront with greater surgical risks in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), including paravalvular leak, aortic valve rupture, coronary artery obstruction, atrioventricular block and so on. However, with the advent of new generation of prosthetic valves and optimization of surgical strategies, several studies have shown that TAVR is safe and effective in the treatment of BAV stenosis. Therefore, we aim to provide an overview of the use of TAVR in patients with BAV stenosis.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as a mature technology has been widely applied in Western countries. In China, with the first two domestic prostheses being approved for commercial use, the technology now is expecting a fast development. In this article, we reviewed the features of Chinese aortic stenosis patients, the early Chinese experience of TAVR, the application of domestic prostheses and remaining problems.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has entered a new and critical stage after nearly 20 years of rapid development in China. There are various types of TAVR valves with different advantages. TAVR can be performed through various approaches such as transfemoral artery, transapical, trans-carotid artery, or trans-ascending aorta. The first two are more common. Echocardiography plays an important role in the perioperative period of TAVR. Compared to transfemoral approach, transapical TAVR has different key points in perioperative echocardiography which is lack of unified and accurate standards. This standard is specially formulated to focus on the key points of echocardiography in preoperative screening, intraoperative monitoring and postoperative follow-up in order to promote the safe and effective application of transapical TAVR in the clinic.
Severe symptomatic native aortic regurgitation (AR) is associated with poor prognosis. Surgical aortic valve replacement is presently the main choice of treatment according to current guidelines. The data of safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for patients with pure native AR were limited. In this paper, a case of AR patient with heart failure was reported. After preoperative CT evaluation and operation plan, the postoperative symptoms improved significantly. Bundle branch block and retroperitoneal hematoma appeared during hospitalization. After the treatment, the patient’s condition improved. Before the discharge, cardiac ultrasound indicated that the reflux was significantly improved, no perivalvular leakage was observed, and cardiac function was improved. AR remains a challenging pathology for TAVR. TAVR is a feasible and reasonable option for carefully selected patients with pure AR.
In recent years, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has developed rapidly in China, and the number and quality of operations have increased significantly. TAVR has become an important treatment strategy for patients with severe aortic stenosis and regurgitation following surgical aortic valve replacement. Prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) is one of the main complications after TAVR, but the incidence of TAVR-related PPM is significantly lower than surgical aortic valve replacement. Most studies believe that PPM has no significant effect on the clinical prognosis of most patients after TAVR, and only increases postoperative mortality in a specific population. This article will review the incidence, influencing factors, impact on clinical prognosis and related coping strategies of PPM after TAVR.
Objective To compare the clinical and hemodynamic results of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with different vascular approaches. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the baseline status, procedure status, procedure-related clinical complications defined by Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 consensus document, and postoperative hemodynamic results of patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVR between April 2012 and January 2019 in West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Results A total of 436 patients were enrolled, including 58 patients undergoing surgical cutdown and 378 patients undergoing percutaneous puncture. The prevalence of tumor in the surgical cutdown group was higher than that in the percutaneous puncture group (8.62% vs. 2.65%, P=0.037), while the other baseline characteristics, including age, male proportion, body mass index, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons scores, were similar between the two groups (P>0.05); the proportion of patients with aortic regurgitation equal to or greater than a moderate degree in the surgical cutdown group was lower than that in the percutaneous puncture group (22.41% vs. 35.98%, P=0.043), and there was no statistically significant difference in other preoperative cardiac ultrasound-related indicators (P>0.05). The procedure success rate was high in both groups (96.55% vs. 98.68%, P=0.236). Immediately after operation, the incidences of new-onset left bundle branch block (43.10% vs. 24.87%, P=0.004), severe bleeding (12.07% vs. 4.23%, P=0.030), and mild bleeding (20.69% vs. 3.44%, P<0.001) were higher in the surgical cutdown group than those in the percutaneous puncture group, and the postoperative hemodynamics indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in maximum blood flow velocity between the two groups [(2.37±0.52) vs. (2.50±1.67) m/s, P=0.274]. At the 1 year follow-up, the cardiac death rate (5.17% vs. 3.17%, P=0.696) and all-causes mortality rate (8.62% vs. 8.47%, P=1.000) between the two groups were not statistically different.Conclusions Compared with percutaneous puncture, surgical cutdown is associated with a higher incidence of bleeding events, while the incidence of other clinical complications such as vascular complications and the postoperative hemodynamic outcomes were similar.
Valvular heart disease (VHD) is a common cardiac disease. Patients with severe VHD have a poor prognosis. With the development of minimal invasive treatments in VHD, especially with the wide application of transcatheter aortic valve replacement in aortic stenosis, these diseases have been regained attention. The disease spectrum and modes of treatment have also changed. However, we currently lack a large population-based VHD-related epidemiologic study in China. In this article, we will summarize the current status of VHD in China using available epidemiologic data.
ObjectiveTo determine the clinical efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe aortic regurgitation (AR) combined with severe mitral regurgitation (MR). MethodsThe clinical data of 13 patients who underwent TAVR due to severe AR combined with severe MR from March 2018 to September 2021 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed, including 10 males and 3 females with a mean age of 72.54±2.35 years. The echocardiographic findings of all patients were compared preoperatively and postoperatively. ResultsSurgeries were performed successfully in all patients without intraoperative death or conversion to sternotomy. The operation time was 118.15±11.42 min, intraoperative blood loss was 100.00 (75.00, 250.00) mL, and the length of hospital stay after surgery was 9.00 (4.50, 11.00) d. The mean follow-up duration was 10.00 (6.50, 38.50) months, during which there were 2 patients with mild to moderate AR, 6 with mild AR, and 5 with no AR; meanwhile, severe MR decreased significantly (P=0.001) even without active intervention, including 4 mild to moderate MR and 9 mild MR patients. Compared to preoperative indexes, the left atrial diameter [46.00 (41.00, 52.50) mm vs. 35.00 (34.00, 41.00) mm, P<0.001], left ventricular end-systolic diameter [45.00 (36.00, 56.00) mm vs. 35.00 (28.00, 39.00) mm, P=0.002] and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (62.62±2.40 mm vs. 51.08±2.49 mm, P<0.001) showed a decreasing trend during the follow-up. ConclusionIn selected patients with severe AR combined with severe MR, TAVR alone improves AR and combined MR at the same time.
Objective To evaluate the coronary artery ostium obstruction caused by the commissure of transcatheter heart valve (THV) with the markers on THV under X-ray, which was identified by observing the position relationship between the commissure of THV and the coronary artery ostium from analyzing aortic root computed tomographic angiography (CTA) images after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 25 patients undergoing TAVR who were checked with electrocardiographically gated CTA for the aortic root after the TAVR procedure between January 2020 and December 2021 in General Hospital of Northern Theater Command. The images of THV with the lowest position of non-coronary sinus and the right anterior oblique and caudal in most cases were observed when the THVs were deployed. The position relationships of the three markers on the THV after valve release were recorded, which were divided into three conditions, namely the three markers being averagely distributed, the middle marker being close to left, and the middle marker being close to right. Postoperative CTA images of the patients were analyzed. The angle between the commissure of THV and the coronary artery ostium was measured, and the angles in each group were presented as medium (lower quartile, upper quartile). Results A total of 17 patients were finally included. The angles between the commissure of THV and the left coronary artery ostium were 19.0 (16.0, 31.0)°, 36.0 (15.0, 44.0)°, and 3.0 (3.0, 5.0)° in the markers averagely distributed group (n=7), the middle marker close to left group (n=6), and the middle marker close to right group (n=4), respectively, which were significantly different (P=0.033). The angles between the commissure of THV and the right coronary artery ostium were 43.0 (25.0, 51.0)°, 47.0 (41.0, 57.0)°, and 13.0 (7.5, 21.0)° in the markers averagely distributed group, the middle marker close to left group, and the middle marker close to right group, respectively, which were significantly different (P=0.017). There was significant difference in the obstruction degrees of left coronary artery ostium by the commissure of THV (P=0.008), and no significant difference in the obstruction degrees of right coronary artery ostium (P=0.062). When the middle marker was close to right, there was no more than moderately obstruction on the right coronary artery ostium and no any obstruction on the left coronary artery ostium. When the middle marker was close to left, the obstruction rate of the left coronary artery ostium with more than moderate degree was 4/6 (66.7%) and it was 6/6 (100.0%) for the right coronary artery ostium. Conclusions The degree of coronary artery ostium obstruction by the commissure of THV can be accurately evaluated by using markers on THV. Among them, when the middle marker is close to right, the commissures of THV are least likely to block the coronary artery ostium.