Background Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis is a risk factor for cardiovascular death. Observational studies support the benefit of renal revascularization on outcomes in selected patients with high-risk clinical manifestations. In this context, we evaluated the factors associated with long-term mortality after renal artery stenting in patients with severe renal artery stenosis, impaired kidney function and/or uncontrolled hypertension. Methods The medical records of patients undergoing renal artery stenting between 2004 and 2014 were extracted. Blood pressure and creatinine were recorded at baseline, 24 hours post-stenting and in the one month to one year interval that followed revascularization. Long-term follow-up was performed in March 2020. Results The cohort consisted of 65 patients. Median follow-up was 120 months. In the first year after stenting, less patients had chronic kidney disease (CKD) class 3b – 5 as compared to baseline (35.3 vs. 56.9%, p=0.01). The number of patients with controlled blood pressure after revascularization increased with 69.2% (p<0.001). Long-term all-cause mortality reached 44.6%. Age (OR 1.1; 95%CI 1.0–1.2; p=0.01), male gender (OR 7.9; 95%CI 1.9 – 43.5; p=0.008), post-stenting CKD class 3b-5 (OR 5.8; 95%CI 1.5–27.9; p=0.01), and post-revascularization uncontrolled hypertension (OR 8.9; 95%CI 1.7–63.5; p=0.01) were associated with long-term mortality independent of diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease. Conclusion Improved CKD class and blood pressure were recorded in the first year after renal artery stenting in patients with severe renal artery stenosis and high-risk clinical manifestations. The lack of improvement in kidney function and blood pressure was independently associated with long-term mortality.

Objective Paravalvular aortic regurgitation is an important independent mortality predictor in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Our study evaluated the association between paravalvular aortic regurgitation and mid‐term mortality in relation with the learning curve, in patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent transfemoral TAVI in the first 3 years since the establishment of the program. Methods Patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent transfemoral TAVI between 2017 and 2020 were included in the analysis. Paravalvular aortic regurgitation was assessed by transthoracic echocardiography at 48 hours after the procedure. All‐cause mortality was evaluated after 30 days and at mid‐term follow‐up. Results Paravalvular aortic regurgitation ≥grade II was associated with mid‐term all‐cause mortality (OR 4.4; 95%CI 1.82–11.55; p < 0.001), their prevalence declining after the first 60 cases. Baseline characteristics did not significantly differ in the first 60 patients from the rest of the cohort. Male sex (p = 0.006), advanced age (p = 0.04), coronary artery disease (p = 0.003), or elevated STS Score (p = 0.02) influenced mid‐term survival. When adjusting for the presence of these factors, only age (OR 1.1; 95%CI 1.0–1.2), paravalvular aortic regurgitation ≥grade II (OR 3.9; 95%CI 1.3–12.9), and the number of days spent in the intensive care unit (OR 1.4; 95%CI 1.1–1.8) were independent predictors of mid‐term all‐cause mortality. Conclusions In a group of patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent transfemoral TAVI in the first 3 years since the establishment of the program, paravalvular aortic regurgitation ≥grade II was associated with mid‐term mortality, both declining after the first 60 cases.

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