East Denmark Registry Used to Study 10-Year Changes in Use of TAVR and SAVR

June 13, 2016—A study that evaluated the choice of treatment for severe aortic valve stenosis in Eastern Denmark in the era of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was published by Ole De Backer, MD, et al in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC): Cardiovascular Interventions (2016;9:1152–1158). The investigators used the East Denmark Heart Registry to study the evolution of AVR over time for the period 2005 to 2015.

The investigators concluded that the number of TAVR procedures has increased steadily in recent years, with a TAVR penetration rate of 35% in 2015 and approximately 45% when considering isolated aortic valve replacement. The number of surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) procedures remained stable over the study period, and surgical bioprostheses are currently used in patients at a much younger age than in 2005. 

The investigators reported that SAVR procedures have shown a slight decline since 2012 and there was a marked decrease in the age at which surgical bioprostheses are considered appropriate. The age profile of TAVR patients remained unchanged over the study period, with a recent trend toward more low- and intermediate-risk patients. Currently, patients aged 80 years and older and/or with a Society of Thoracic Surgeons surgical risk score > 6 are automatically referred for TAVR, and 50% of patients aged 70 to 80 years with an Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk score of 4 to 6 are treated with TAVR, reported the investigators in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.