Pathology-Independent Expansion of Indications for Rapid-Deployment Aortic Valve Replacement: Midterm Outcomes

Background This study evaluated the midterm outcomes of rapid deployment aortic valve replacement (RDAVR) performed regardless of pathology for various aortic valve diseases at a single center. Methods Of the 344 patients who underwent RDAVR using Edwards INTUITY during the study period at our institution, 176 had bicuspid valve diseases (51.2%), 20 had pure aortic regurgitation (5.8%), and 4 had infective endocarditis (1.2%). Median follow-up duration was 28.6 months (maximum: 86.4 months). Midterm clinical outcomes were evaluated, and the changes of valve hemodynamics from early postoperative period to 5 years after surgery were also investigated. Results Mean age was 68.9 +/- 9.8 years, and 46.2% of the patients were female. Isolated RDAVR was performed in 90 patients (26.2%), and concomitant procedures, including aortic surgery (48.8%), mitral valve surgery (20.3%), arrhythmia surgery (9.0%), tricuspid valve surgery (7.0%), and coronary artery bypass grafting (5.5%), were performed in 254 patients (73.8%). Operative mortality occurred in 11 patients (3.2%), and permanent pacemaker implantation was required in 5 patients (1.5%) in early postoperative period. Overall survival rate was 86.9% at 5 years, and cumulative incidence of cardiac death was 6.3% at 5 years. No deterioration of valve hemodynamics was observed at midterm echocardiographic evaluation in either the overall population or for each size of valve. Conclusion Isolated or concomitant aortic valve replacement using rapid-deployment valves was performed for various aortic valve diseases regardless of the underlying pathology at our institution, and the clinical and hemodynamic outcomes were excellent for up to 5 years.