Pre-Procedural Hemodynamic Status Improves the Discriminatory Value of the Aortic Regurgitation Index in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to increase the discriminatory value of the aortic regurgitation index (ARI) for the assessment of paravalvular regurgitation (PVR) and to further elucidate the association between aortic regurgitation severity and mortality after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

BACKGROUND: Hemodynamic parameters such as the ARI complement predominantly angiographically guided TAVR. However, the ARI depends on several baseline and periprocedural characteristics.

METHODS: The ARI was prospectively calculated before and after TAVR in 600 patients. The severity of PVR was assessed in all patients by angiography and echocardiography according to a 3-class scheme. To account for pre-procedural hemodynamic status, the ARI ratio was calculated as post- over pre-procedural ARI.

RESULTS: Apart from the degree of PVR (β = -0.396, p < 0.001), pre-procedural hemodynamic status in the form of the ARI before TAVR (β = 0.227, p < 0.001) was associated with post-procedural ARI in multivariate regression analysis. The ARI ratio increased the specificity of post-procedural ARI alone for the prediction of both more than mild PVR and 1-year mortality from 75.1% to 93.2% and from 75.0% to 93.3%, respectively. Patients with post-procedural ARI values <25 after TAVR had significantly increased 1-year mortality only when the ARI ratio was <0.60 (50.0% vs. 26.3%, p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: The ARI ratio integrating pre- and post-procedural hemodynamic status increases the discriminatory value of post-procedural ARI. The ARI ratio, which reflects acute hemodynamic changes after TAVR, is useful to identify patients with negative outcomes.