Alcohol Septal Ablation to Prevent Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction During Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement: First-in-Man Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluates outcomes of pre-emptive alcohol septal ablation (ASA) to prevent iatrogenic left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction after transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR).
BACKGROUND: LVOT obstruction is a life-threatening complication of TMVR. Bail-out ASA has been described as a therapeutic option for patients with outflow obstruction during TMVR, but little is known about pre-emptive ASA.
METHODS: Multicenter registry of patients with severe mitral valve disease who underwent pre-emptive ASA to mitigate LVOT obstruction risk after TMVR. High risk of LVOT obstruction was predicted in all patients by pre-procedural computed tomographic imaging.
RESULTS: Thirty patients (age 76.1 ± 7.7 years; women 76.7%) with severe mitral valve disease underwent pre-emptive ASA to mitigate TMVR-induced LVOT obstruction risk. Twenty patients underwent mitral valve replacement (14 transseptal, 3 transatrial, 1 transapical, 1 transseptal with percutaneous laceration of anterior mitral leaflet, 1 treated with surgical mitral valve replacement). Eight patients experienced clinical improvement post-ASA. Two patients died before TMVR. Median increase in neo-LVOT surface area post-ASA was 111.2 mm2 (interquartile range: 71.4 to 193.1 mm2). Five patients (16.7%) required pacemaker implantation post-ASA. In-hospital and 30-day mortality post-ASA was 6.7% (2/30 patients). After ASA, TMVR was performed successfully in 100% of attempted cases. In-hospital and 30-day mortality post-TMVR was 5.3% (1/19). Mortality of entire cohort was 10% (3/30 patients: 2 post-ASA before TMVR, 1 died 30 days post-TMVR).
CONCLUSIONS: Pre-emptive ASA is associated with a significant increase in predicted neo-LVOT area before TMVR and may enable safe TMVR in patients usually excluded secondary to prohibitive risk of LVOT obstruction.