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Background: Mitral regurgitation (MR) is prevalent in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). There are some controversies about the prognostic impact of MR in survival of TAVI patients., Objective: To examine the relationship between TAVI and MR in a patient population from the Brazilian TAVI Registry., Methods: Seven hundred and ninety-five patients from the Brazilian TAVI Registry were divided at baseline, discharge, and follow-up according to their MR grade as follows: absent/mild (AMMR) or moderate/severe (MSMR). They were subsequently regrouped according to their immediate and late changes in MR severity after TAVI as follows: no change, improved, or worsened MR. Predictors and prognostic impact on baseline as well as changes in MR severity were analyzed. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05., Results: Baseline MSMR was present in 19.3% of patients and was a predictor of increased late mortality. Immediately after TAVI, 47.4 % of cases improved to AMMR, predicted by a higher Society of Thoracic Surgeons score and a higher grade of baseline aortic regurgitation. Upon follow-up, 9.2% of cases of AMMR worsened to MSMR, whereas 36.8% of cases of MSMR improved to AMMR. Lower baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and improvement in LVEF at follow-up were predictors of MR improvement. Progressive worsening of MR upon follow-up was an independent predictor of higher late mortality after TAVI (p = 0.005)., Conclusions: Baseline MSMR predicts late mortality after TAVI. Lower LVEF and improved LVEF at follow-up predict MR improvement after TAVI. Progressive worsening of MR severity at follow-up is an independent predictor of late mortality, which is a rare finding in the literature.

Introduction and Objectives: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is frequently observed after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and is associated with higher mortality. However, the impact of AKI on long-term outcomes remains controversial. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the impact of AKI on short- and long-term outcomes following TAVI using the Valve Academic Research Consortium 2 criteria., Methods: Consecutive patients (n = 794) with severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI were included in a multicenter Brazilian registry. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of AKI. Four-year outcomes were determined as Kaplan-Meier survival curves, and an adjusted landmark analysis was used to test the impact of AKI on mortality among survivors at 12 months., Results: The incidence of AKI after TAVI was 18%. Independent predictors of AKI were age, diabetes mellitus, major or life-threatening bleeding and valve malpositioning. Acute kidney injury was independently associated with higher risk of all-cause death (adjusted HR, 2.8; 95%CI, 2.0-3.9; P < .001) and cardiovascular mortality (adjusted HR, 2.9; 95%CI, 1.9-4.4; P < .001) over the entire follow-up period. However, when considering only survivors at 12 months, there was no difference in both clinical endpoints (adjusted HR, 1.2; 95%CI, 0.5-2.4; P = .71, and HR, 0.7; 95%CI, 0.2-2.1; P = .57, respectively)., Conclusions: Acute kidney injury is a frequent complication after TAVI. Older age, diabetes, major or life-threatening bleeding, and valve malpositioning were independent predictors of AKI. Acute kidney injury is associated with worse short- and long-term outcomes. However, the major impact of AKI on mortality is limited to the first year after TAVI., (Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation has become an option for high-surgical-risk patients with aortic valve disease., Objective: To evaluate the in-hospital and one-year follow-up outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation., Methods: Prospective cohort study of transcatheter aortic valve implantation cases from July 2009 to February 2015. Analysis of clinical and procedural variables, correlating them with in-hospital and one-year mortality., Results: A total of 136 patients with a mean age of 83 years (80-87) underwent heart valve implantation; of these, 49% were women, 131 (96.3%) had aortic stenosis, one (0.7%) had aortic regurgitation and four (2.9%) had prosthetic valve dysfunction. NYHA functional class was III or IV in 129 cases (94.8%). The baseline orifice area was 0.67 ± 0.17 cm2 and the mean left ventricular-aortic pressure gradient was 47.3±18.2 mmHg, with an STS score of 9.3% (4.8%-22.3%). The prostheses implanted were self-expanding in 97% of cases. Perioperative mortality was 1.5%; 30-day mortality, 5.9%; in-hospital mortality, 8.1%; and one-year mortality, 15.5%. Blood transfusion (relative risk of 54; p = 0.0003) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (relative risk of 5.3; p = 0.036) were predictive of in-hospital mortality. Peak C-reactive protein (relative risk of 1.8; p = 0.013) and blood transfusion (relative risk of 8.3; p = 0.0009) were predictive of 1-year mortality. At 30 days, 97% of patients were in NYHA functional class I/II; at one year, this figure reached 96%., Conclusion: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation was performed with a high success rate and low mortality. Blood transfusion was associated with higher in-hospital and one-year mortality. Peak C-reactive protein was associated with one-year mortality.

Objective: To compare the 1-year outcomes of complete percutaneous approach versus surgical vascular approach for transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), among "real-world" patients from the multi-center Brazilian TAVI registry., Background: Vascular access still remains a major challenge for TAVI via transfemoral approach. Vascular access through complete percutaneous approaches or through open surgical vascular techniques seems to be acutely similar. However, the long-term outcomes of both techniques remain poorly described., Methods: The study population comprised all patients treated via transfemoral route in the Brazilian TAVI registry, a "real-world", nation-based, multi-center study. Patients were divided according to the initial vascular access approach (percutaneous vs. surgical) and clinically followed-up for 1 year. The primary endpoint was the incidence of combined adverse events all-cause mortality, life-threatening bleeding, and/or major vascular complication at 1 year., Results: A total of 402 patients from 18 centers comprised the study population (percutaneous approach in 182 patients; surgical cutdown approach 220 patients). The incidence of combined adverse events was not different in the percutaneous and the surgical groups at 30 days (17.6% vs. 16.3%; P = 0.8) and at 1 year (primary endpoint) (30.9% vs. 28.8%; P = 0.8). Also, the study groups overall were comparable regarding the incidence of each individual safety adverse events at 30 days and at 1 year., Conclusion: Total percutaneous techniques or surgical cutdown and closure may provide similar safety and effectiveness during the first year of follow-up in patients undergoing transfemoral TAVI., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: The study sought to evaluate outcomes and predictors of mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)., Background: TAVI registries can reliably address outcomes and issues that adversely affect results in real-life., Methods: All endpoints and complications were analyzed according to Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 criteria., Results: Between January 2008 and January 2013, 418 patients underwent TAVI in 18 centers and were included in the Brazilian registry. The transfemoral approach was used in 96.2% of the procedures. The CoreValve and Sapien XT prosthesis were used in 360 (86.1%) and 58 (13.9%) cases, respectively. All-cause mortality at 30 days and 1 year were 9.1 and 21.5%. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (HR: 3.50), acute kidney injury (AKI) (HR: 3.07), stroke (HR: 2.71) and moderate/severe paravalvular regurgitation (PVR) (HR: 2.76) emerged as independent predictors of overall mortality. COPD (OR: 3.00), major vascular complications (OR: 7.99) and device malpositioning (OR: 6.97) were predictors of early (≤30 days) mortality, while COPD (HR: 2.68), NYHA class III/IV (HR: 3.04), stroke (HR: 4.15), AKI (HR: 2.44) and moderate/severe PVR (HR: 3.20) impacted late (>30 days) mortality. The use of transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) to monitor the procedure was found to be a protective factor against overall (HR: 0.57) and late (HR: 0.47) mortality., Conclusion: This multicenter registry reflected a real-life national TAVI experience. Comorbidities, periprocedural complications and moderate/severe PVR were associated with increased mortality and the use of TEE to monitor the procedure acted as a protective factor., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the predictors of permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation after TAVI., Methods: Between January 2008 and February 2012, 418 patients with severe aortic stenosis underwent TAVI and were enrolled in a Brazilian multicenter registry. After excluding patients who died during the procedure and those with a previous PPM, 353 patients were included in the analysis., Results: At 30 days, the overall incidence of PPM implantation was 25.2%. Patients requiring PPM were more likely to be older (82.73 vs. 81.10 years, p=0.07), have pre-dilation (68.42% vs. 60.07%, p=0.15), receive CoreValve (93.68% vs. 82.55%, p=0.008), and have baseline right bundle branch block (RBBB, 25.26% vs. 6.58%, p<0.001). On multivariable analysis, CoreValve vs. Sapien XT (OR, 4.24; 95% CI, 1.56-11.49; p=0.005), baseline RBBB (OR, 4.41; 95% CI, 2.20-8.82; p<0.001), and balloon pre-dilatation (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.02-3.02; p=0.04) were independent predictors of PPM implantation., Conclusion: PPM implantation occurred in approximately one-fourth of cases. Pre-existing RBBB, balloon pre-dilatation, and CoreValve use were independent predictors of PPM after TAVI. The type of prosthesis used and pre-balloon dilatation should be considered in TAVI candidates with baseline RBBB., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Two male black patients, 18 and 12-year-old, with mental retardation and typical elfin face, presented with severe supravalvular aortic stenosis, thus characterizing Williams's or aortic supravalvular stenosis syndrome. Both were submitted to surgical treatment of the stenosis, and are asymptomatic after a one and four years follow-up. For the first time this syndrome, in its classical form, is described in black patients.