title: Population characteristics, treatment assignment and survival of patients with aortic stenosis referred for percutaneous valve replacement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An increasing number of patients are referred for percutaneous aortic valve replacement (PAVR). Although case studies are available on outcome of selected patients, little is known about the demographics, treatment assignment and survival of the total referred population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This was a prospective observational cohort study. From September 2005 to September 2007, 100 patients were referred for PAVR of whom 39 underwent PAVR, 14 surgical valve replacement (AVR) and three balloon valvuloplasty (PABV). Another 16 refused treatment and 28 were no candidate (non severe aortic stenosis [n=11], asymptomatic and normal ventricular function [n=3], comorbidity [n=12], technically PAVR not feasible [n=2]). The logistic EuroSCORE (Mean, sd) was: 15 +/- 6% (PAVR), 9 +/- 11% (AVR), 22 +/- 15% (PABV), 25 +/- 14% (refusals) and 17 +/- 12% (no-candidate). The mean follow-up was 13 months (range 0-30 months). Cumulative survival at six months was 97%, 85% and 70%, for PAVR, AVR and refusals, respectively. At 12 months, it was 87%, 62% and 40% respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Not all patients referred for PAVR finally receive it. Approximately 15% of the patients received AVR and 30% were considered not eligible. This may reflect the lack of sufficient data and need for an improvement in the technology in order to offer PAVR to both lower and higher risk patients. Considering risk and outcome, it is conceivable that patients who refused treatment could have benefited the most from it.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology and CardioThoracic Surgery, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Amber M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Otten
authors.forename: Ron T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: van Domburg
authors.forename: Menno
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Gameren
authors.forename: A Pieter
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Kappetein
authors.forename: Johanna J M
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Takkenberg
authors.forename: Ad J J C
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bogers
authors.forename: Patrick W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Serruys
authors.forename: Peter P T
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: de Jaegere
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D002404:Catheterization; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors