Nearly 1.5 million Americans have aortic stenosis (AS), the narrowing of the aortic valve opening which restricts blood flow to the aorta. Historically, patients have been treated with open-heart surgery, although recent research has suggested that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) may be a better, less invasive treatment option for some high-risk patients. In this first randomized clinical trial for intermediate-risk patients with severe, symptomatic AS, conducted by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with Edwards Lifesciences, the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, and 56 center across the United States and Canada, investigators found that TAVR with SAPIEN XT resulted in similar two-year clinical outcomes, as compared to surgical aortic valve replacement. The study - the PARTNER II Trial - was presented today at the American College of Cardiology 65th Annual Scientific Session in Chicago and simultaneously published online in The New England Journal of Medicine.
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