Quality of life assessment after percutaneous aortic valve implantation.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the NYHA class and the quality of life (QoL) scores after percutaneous aortic valve implantation (PAVI) with the 18-Fr CoreValve prosthesis.


RESULTS
From April 2007 until August 2008, 57 consecutive patients with aortic stenosis were evaluated for PAVI. Of these, 30 patients with successfully prosthesis implantation had more than 5-month follow-up. QoL assessment was realized with the SF-12v2 Health-Survey, a simple questionnaire designed for self-administration that provides easily interpretable scales for physical [physical component summary (PCS)] and mental [mental component summary (MCS)] health. The questionnaire was administered before and 5 months after PAVI. All 30 patients had a marked upgrading in haemodynamic and echocardiographic parameters (peak-to-peak gradient from 64 +/- 23 to 2 +/- 0.4; P < 0.001; aortic valve area index from 0.3 +/- 0.1 to 0.9 +/- 0.3; P < 0.001), with an improvement in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class at discharge and after 5 months. Mean pre-operative SF-12v2 scores showed a severe impairment of perceived quality of life compared with general Italian population >75 years, both for physical (PCS-baseline 28.5 vs. 37.9, P < 0.001) and mental scores (MCS-baseline 37.8 vs. 45.4, P < 0.001). After 5 months, a striking improvement in both scores (PCS 41.3-MCS 48.3; P < 0.001) was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Our preliminary results show a marked short-term improvement in functional status and physical and mental health in patients underwent PAVI.
Ussia
Gian Paolo
GP
Division of Cardiology, Ferrarotto Hospital, University of Catania, Via Citelli 6, Catania, Italy. gpussia@hotmail.com
Mulè
Massimiliano
M
Barbanti
Marco
M
Cammalleri
Valeria
V
Scarabelli
Marilena
M
Immè
Sebastiano
S
Capodanno
Davide
D
Ciriminna
Saverio
S
Tamburino
Corrado
C
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires