TAVR Improves Quality of Life Compared With Surgery

A study in Age and Ageing found that patients who receive the minimally invasive procedure transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) had improved quality of life compared with patients who underwent surgery.

“Transcatheter aortic valve replacement provides prognostic benefit for high surgical-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis, yet the impact to patient outcomes is far less understood,” Nicola Straiton, of the Sydney Nursing School at the University of Sydney, in Australia, and colleagues wrote. 

The researchers conducted a meta-analysis to measure functional capacity and health-related quality of life for up to 1 year following a TAVR procedure. 

Study results showed that after the procedure, patients could walk further in 6-minute walking tests. Additionally, the researchers found significant improvements in patients’ health-related quality of life and ability to complete tasks.

Findings also highlighted that TAVR can improve quality of life, even among older patients considered high-risk for surgery. 

“Functional capacity and health-related quality of life improved substantially following TAVR, despite evolving patient selection criteria, thus TAVR continues to provide a directly beneficial option for severe aortic stenosis patients,” the researchers concluded.

—David Costill