Valve function
The rate of moderate hemodynamic structural valve deterioration through 6 years of follow-up was 3.6% in the TAVR arm, compared with 23.7% in the SAVR group. The rate of nonstructural valve deterioration was 54.0% with TAVR and 57.8% with SAVR, and there were no cases of moderate or severe aortic regurgitation in either group.
The mean aortic valve gradient in the TAVR group went from 44.9 mm Hg at baseline to 12.2 mm Hg at 3 months and to 14.7 mm Hg at 6 years. In the SAVR group, the figures were 44.9 mm Hg, 8.3 mm Hg, and 9.9 mm Hg, respectively.
The effective orifice area in the TAVR group improved from 0.74 cm2 at baseline to 1.37 cm2 at 3 months and to 1.16 cm2 at 6 years. With SAVR, the effective orifice area was 0.74 cm2 at baseline, 1.66 cm2 at 3 months, and 1.53 cm2 at 6 years.