Cerebral Protection Devices during Transcatheter Interventions: Indications, Benefits, and Limitations.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Stroke remains a devastating complication of cardiovascular interventions. This review is going to discuss stroke rates and outcomes in different cardiovascular procedures with a highlight on the current evidence for the use of cerebral protection devices (CPD).

RECENT FINDINGS: Depending on the quality of neurological assessment, stroke occurs in up to 9.1% after TAVI, 3.9% after mitral clipping, 3.1% in LAAO patients, 0.4% after PCIs, and 1.8% after catheter ablation. CPDs are available for routine use. They are easy to use in most anatomies, feasible, and safe. Data on clinical impact and stroke reduction from RCTs are still missing. Most evidence for the routine use of CPDs exists in TAVI patients, who are at the highest risk. The PROTECTED TAVI RCT will shed more light on the clinical impact of CPD-use in TAVI patients. In other cardiovascular procedures like mitral clipping, PCIs, and ablation, the current data do not support the routine use of CPDs in these patients.