New results from the PARTNER Cohort B trial presented at the TCT congress have shown that transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) yielded lower mortality rates after three years compared with medical therapy in patients deemed to be ineligible for conventional aortic valve surgery.
The PARTNER B trial randomised inoperable patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis to transfemoral TAVI or to standard therapy. Data on three-year outcomes were analysed according to intention to treat.
A total of 358 patients underwent randomisation at 21 centres. The Kaplan Meier estimated rates of death at three years were 54.1% in the TAVI group and 80.9% in the standard-therapy group (p<0.0001); corresponding rates of cardiac death were 41.4% and 74.5% (p<0.0001). The survival advantage associated with TAVI that was initially observed at one year persisted during the subsequent years.
“After three years of follow-up, the benefits of TAVI were sustained as measured by all cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, repeat hospitalisation, and functional status,” said one of the investigators, E Murat Tuzcu, professor of Medicine and vice-chairman of the Department of Cardiology in the Sydell and Arnold Heart & Vascular Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, USA. “Three-year data continue to support the role of TAVI as the standard-of-care for symptomatic patients with aortic stenosis who are not surgical candidates,” said Tuzcu.
The trial was funded by Edwards Lifesciences.
