In patients undergoing TAVR, significant preoperative TR was present in 15% of patients and associated with more comorbidities. Despite being associated with a doubling of mortality rate, after a robust adjustment, significant TR was not an independent predictor of 2-year mortality. However, a significant interaction between TR and left ventricular systolic function was found. The response of TR to TAVR was extremely variable.

The introduction of lower-profile sheaths has dramatically reduced the incidence of vascular complications after transfemoral TAVR, thus enhancing the safety of the procedure.

No abstract

Optimal clinical performance of CoreValve and SAPIEN XT appears to be reached with different degrees of oversizing. Certain annular sizes that allow for only moderate or large oversizing, but not both, appear to benefit from a device specific approach.