Search

Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Dr. Cauti has received grants from Biosense Webster and Abbott and is clinical advisor for Biotronik. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is the established first-line treatment for patient with severe aortic stenosis not suitable for surgery. Echocardiographic evaluation of hemodynamic forces (HDFs) is a growing field, holding the potential to early predict improvement in LV function. A prospective observational study was conducted. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed before and after TAVI. HDFs were analyzed along with traditional left ventricular (LV) function parameters. Twenty-five consecutive patients undergoing TAVI were enrolled: mean age 83 ± 5 years, 74.5% male, mean LV Ejection Fraction (LVEF) at baseline 57 ± 8%. Post-TAVI echocardiographic evaluation was performed 2.4 ± 1.06 days after the procedure. HDF amplitude parameters improved significantly after the procedure: LV Longitudinal Forces (LF) apex-base [mean difference (MD) 1.79%; 95% CI 1.07-2.5; p -value < 0.001]; LV systolic LF apex-base (MD 2.6%; 95% CI 1.57-3.7; p -value < 0.001); LV impulse (LVim) apex-base (MD 2.9%; 95% CI 1.48-4.3; p -value < 0.001). Similarly, HDFs orientation parameters improved: LVLF angle (MD 1.5°; 95% CI 0.07-2.9; p -value = 0.041); LVim angle (MD 2.16°; 95% CI 0.76-3.56; p -value = 0.004). Conversely, global longitudinal strain and LVEF did not show any significant difference before and after the procedure. Echocardiographic analysis of HDFs could help differentiate patients with LV function recovery after TAVI from patients with persistent hemodynamic dysfunction.