TAVR-Associated Aortic Root Rupture Hazardous but Predictable

Aortic root rupture that occurs during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) using balloon-expandable prostheses carries a heightened risk of in-hospital adverse events but can be predicted by anatomic and procedural factors. The findings, from a small multicenter study, were published online June 7, 2013, ahead of print in Circulation.

Jonathon Leipsic, MD, of St. Paul’s Hospital (Vancouver, Canada), and colleagues enrolled 31 consecutive patients who experienced left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT)/annular/aortic root rupture while receiving Sapien or Sapien XT devices (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA) at 16 centers worldwide. This cohort was caliper-matched to a sample of 31 patients without annular rupture who had similar baseline characteristics and served as controls. Read more here.