02.11.16

No difference in health-related quality of life between patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation and surgical aortic valve replacement.

Five years after aortic valve surgery, patients report the same health-related quality of life regardless of undergoing transcatheter or classic aortic valve surgery.

Studying mortality and conducting a questionnaire study on the physical and mental well-being in these patients, the researchers from Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University in Denmark found no difference between the two treatments.

The researchers have followed 59 aortic valve surgery patients randomly selected to receive either transcatheter aortic valve implantation or surgical aortic valve replacement at Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at Aarhus University Hospital.

Normally, catheter-based techniques are only used in high-risk patients and this study is the first investigating the technique applied in low-risk patients.

- As the study was conducted with already outdated methods, our study indicates that stent valves are at the same level as aortic valve surgery concerning survival and health-related quality of life – at least up to the observed 5 years after treatment, says Christian Emil Rex, research year student, who has been in charge of the study.

The results are published in the article:

Health-related quality-of-life after transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Rex CE, Heiberg J, Klaaborg KE, Hjortdal VE. Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal. 2016 Sep 28.

Further information:

Christian Emil Rex, research year student, Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark

Tel.: +45 7845 3086