title: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in nonsurgical candidates with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis: a cost-effectiveness analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) seems to improve the survival and quality of life of patients with aortic stenosis ineligible for surgical aortic valve replacement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We used a decision analytic Markov model to estimate lifetime costs and benefits in a hypothetical cohort of patients with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis who were ineligible for surgical aortic valve replacement. The model compared transfemoral TAVR with medical management and was calibrated to the Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves (PARTNER) trial. TAVR increased life expectancy from 2.08 to 2.93 years and quality-adjusted life expectancy from 1.19 to 1.93 years. TAVR also reduced subsequent hospitalizations by 1.40 but increased complications, particularly stroke (from 1% to 11% lifetime risk), and also increased lifetime costs from $83,600 to $169,100. The incremental cost-effectiveness of TAVR was $116,500 per quality-adjusted life-year gained ($99,900 per life-year gained). Results were robust to reasonable changes in individual variables but were sensitive to the level of annual healthcare costs caused by noncardiac diseases and to the projected life expectancy of medically treated patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TAVR seems to be an effective but somewhat expensive alternative to medical management among patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis ineligible for surgery. TAVR is more cost-effective for patients with a lower burden of noncardiac disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, CA, USA. ctsimons@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Cyrena T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Simons
authors.forename: Lauren E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Cipriano
authors.forename: Rashmee U
authors.initials: RU
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Alan M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Garber
authors.forename: Douglas K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hlatky
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics* / Q000401:mortality; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D017048:Health Care Costs; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008390:Markov Chains; D018803:Models, Economic; D018579:Patient Selection; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: aortic valve stenosis; cost effectiveness; transcatheter aortic valve