Takeshi Kitai1, Tomohiko Taniguchi2, Takeshi Morimoto3, Toshiaki Toyota2, Chisato Izumi4, Shuichiro Kaji1, Kitae Kim1, Naritatsu Saito2, Kazuya Nagao5, Tsukasa Inada5, Eri Minamino-Muta2, Takao Kato2, Moriaki Inoko6, Katsuhisa Ishii7, Tadaaki Koyama8, Ryuzo Sakata8, Yutaka Furukawa1, Takeshi Kimura9. 1. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Kobe, Japan. 2. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. 3. Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan. 4. Department of Cardiology, Tenri Hospital, Tenri, Japan. 5. Department of Cardiovascular Center, Osaka Red Cross Hospital, Osaka, Japan. 6. Cardiovascular Center, The Tazuke Kofukai Medical Research Institute, Kitano Hospital, Osaka, Japan. 7. Department of Cardiology, Kansai Electric Power Hospital, Osaka, Japan. 8. Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Kobe, Japan. 9. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: taketaka@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The ACC/AHA guidelines introduced a new classification of severe aortic stenosis (AS) mainly based on maximum jet velocity (Vmax) and mean pressure gradient (mPG), but not on aortic valve area (AVA). However, prognostic value of this new classification has not yet been fully evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 1512 patients with asymptomatic severe AS enrolled in the CURRENT AS registry in whom surgery was not initially planned. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (N=122) comprised patients who met the recommendation for surgery; high-gradient (HG)-AS (Vmax≥4.0m/s or mPG≥40mmHg) with ejection fraction (EF)<50%, or very HG-AS (Vmax≥5.0m/s or mPG≥60mmHg), and Group 2 (N=1390) comprised patients who did not meet this recommendation. Group 2 was further subdivided into HG-AS with preserved EF (HGpEF-AS, N=498) and low-gradient (LG)-AS, but AVA<1.0cm2 (N=892). The excess risk of Group 1 relative to Group 2 for the primary outcome measure (a composite of aortic valve-related death or heart failure hospitalization) was significant (adjusted HR: 1.92, 95%CI: 1.37-2.68, P<0.001). The excess risk of HGpEF-AS relative to LG-AS for the primary outcome measure was also significant (adjusted HR: 1.45, 95%CI: 1.11-1.89, P=0.006). Among LG-AS patients, patients with reduced EF (<50%) (LGrEF-AS, N=103) had extremely high cumulative 5-year incidence of all-cause death (85.5%). CONCLUSION: Trans-aortic valve gradient in combination with EF was a good prognostic marker in patients with asymptomatic AS. However, patients with LGrEF-AS had extremely poor prognosis when managed conservatively.
BACKGROUND: The ACC/AHA guidelines introduced a new classification of severe aortic stenosis (AS) mainly based on maximum jet velocity (Vmax) and mean pressure gradient (mPG), but not on aortic valve area (AVA). However, prognostic value of this new classification has not yet been fully evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 1512 patients with asymptomatic severe AS enrolled in the CURRENT AS registry in whom surgery was not initially planned. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (N=122) comprised patients who met the recommendation for surgery; high-gradient (HG)-AS (Vmax≥4.0m/s or mPG≥40mmHg) with ejection fraction (EF)<50%, or very HG-AS (Vmax≥5.0m/s or mPG≥60mmHg), and Group 2 (N=1390) comprised patients who did not meet this recommendation. Group 2 was further subdivided into HG-AS with preserved EF (HGpEF-AS, N=498) and low-gradient (LG)-AS, but AVA<1.0cm2 (N=892). The excess risk of Group 1 relative to Group 2 for the primary outcome measure (a composite of aortic valve-related death or heart failure hospitalization) was significant (adjusted HR: 1.92, 95%CI: 1.37-2.68, P<0.001). The excess risk of HGpEF-AS relative to LG-AS for the primary outcome measure was also significant (adjusted HR: 1.45, 95%CI: 1.11-1.89, P=0.006). Among LG-AS patients, patients with reduced EF (<50%) (LGrEF-AS, N=103) had extremely high cumulative 5-year incidence of all-cause death (85.5%). CONCLUSION: Trans-aortic valve gradient in combination with EF was a good prognostic marker in patients with asymptomatic AS. However, patients with LGrEF-AS had extremely poor prognosis when managed conservatively.