Hemodynamic durability of transcatheter aortic valves using the updated Valve Academic Research Consortium‐2 criteria

OBJECTIVES We investigated the hemodynamic durability of the transcatheter aortic valves (TAVs) using the updated Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 (VARC-2) criteria. BACKGROUND The updated VARC-2 consensus criteria combine flow-dependent and flow-independent echocardiographic parameters for hemodynamic assessment of TAVR. Data on the hemodynamic durability of TAV and clinical risk factors associated with valve hemodynamic deterioration (VHD) are lacking. METHODS All patients (n = 276) who received TAV between 2006 and 2012 and had ≥2 follow-up echocardiograms were studied. RESULTS During a median follow up period of 3.3 (1.8-4.4) years, 8 patients (3%) developed moderate to severe valve stenosis per the VARC-2 criteria, while 20 had mild stenosis. In a Cox proportional hazards model analysis, moderate to severe stenosis by VARC-2 criteria was associated with younger age (P = 0.03, HR 0.94), absence of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) (P = 0.026, HR 0.18), and lower baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (P = 0.006, HR 0.94). Longitudinal analysis using a mixed effect model showed that presence of stenosis by VARC-2 criteria was associated with an increase in aortic valve mean gradient (P