Indications for transcatheter aortic valve implantation – now and next?

Abstract

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular pathology and its prevalence is expected to increase rapidly in coming decades as a consequence of the increasingly elderly population. Without treatment, severe symptomatic AS has a very poor prognosis with a mortality of 50% at two years. Whilst surgical aortic valve replacement is the gold standard treatment, a significant minority of patients are deemed inoperable and declined surgery due to prohibitively high risk. The advent of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has revolutionised their treatment. In this review, we discuss current indications for TAVI, other applications of this technology and future indications.

Key words:

• Transcatheter aortic valve implantation
• TAVI
• aortic stenosis

Acknowledgements

The work of Dr Prendergast is supported by the Oxford Partnership Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre with funding from the UK Department of Health’s National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centres funding scheme. The views expressed in this publication are his and not necessarily those of the Department of Health.

Declaration of interest: NR reports no conflict of interest. BDP has received speaker fees from Edwards Lifesciences Ltd. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.