title: Quality of life assessment after percutaneous aortic valve implantation.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Ferrarotto Hospital, University of Catania, Via Citelli 6, Catania, Italy. gpussia@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Gian Paolo
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Ussia
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mulè
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barbanti
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cammalleri
authors.forename: Marilena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scarabelli
authors.forename: Sebastiano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Immè
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Capodanno
authors.forename: Saverio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ciriminna
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tamburino
mesh_terms: 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