‘Significant stroke risk’ in TAVR for bicuspid aortic stenosis
Stroke prevention strategies need to be considered for such patients, researcher says
Patients undergoing transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR) of bicuspid aortic valves could be at considerable risk of stroke even when treated at high-volume centres, researchers say.
Most previous TAVR research has focused on patients with tricuspid valves, and patients with bicuspid valves have been excluded, the US researchers note in a letter to JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.
They examined data from 2012-17 covering about half of US hospitalisations for the procedure.
Hospitals with fewer than 100 TAVR procedures annually, regardless of valve type, were deemed to be low-volume centres, and those with more were considered high-volume centres.
