Aortic stenosis (AS), the narrowing of the aortic valve in the heart which causes restricted blood flow, is one of the most common and serious valve disease problems. For patients with one type of AS - low flow - transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a minimally invasive procedure which corrects the damaged aortic valve, is often the best option for restoring the heart's normal pumping function. However, approximately one-third of low flow AS patients treated with TAVR continue to suffer persistent low flow AS even after the procedure, ultimately increasing their risk of death. Now, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have examined this high-risk patient population to determine the cause of this persistent low flow AS and to evaluate their risk of dying during the year following the procedure. Their findings are detailed in a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association - Cardiology.
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