Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become the preferred treatment for severe aortic stenosis. The localization and anchor of many transcatheter heart valves available in the clinic today are dependent on the calcific aortic valve leaflet of patients. We reported here a successful case of transapical aortic valve implantation with Ken-Valve heart valve in an 82-year-old male patient with pure severe aortic regurgitation without native valve calcium. Postoperative follow-up (3 months after the surgery) showed that the cardiac function significantly improved. The echocardiography indicated that the Ken-Valve prosthesis worked well without perivalvular regurgitation. The short-term clinical effect was satisfactory. The Ken-Valve with three position anchors is proved to be suitable for the treatment of pure aortic regurgitation.
ObjectiveTo investigate the reliability and safety of the technique of percutaneous left ventricular transapical access guided by cardiac three dimensional CT angiography (3D-CTA) combined with echocardiography applied in structural heart defects.MethodsThe clinical data of 9 patients (7 males and 2 females with a median age of 50 years ranging from 43 to 64 years) with paravalvular leaks closed by percutaneous left ventricular transapical access in West China Hospital, from April 2015 to August 2018, were retrospectively analyzed. We applied preoperative cardiac 3D-CTA to define the puncture site and trace, which was established by combining with real-time guidance of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE/3D-TEE), and an occluder was deployed at the apical access point for hemostasis with real-time guidance of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).ResultsThe puncture needles were successfully introduced into the left ventricular cavity at one time in all patients without injury of lung tissue, coronary artery or papillary muscle. There was no occluder displacement or apex bleeding. One patient developed pleural effusion caused by intercostal artery injury.ConclusionThat cardiac 3D-CTA is used to define puncture sites and trace with advantages of simplicity and repeatability. A safe access and secure exit of left ventricle can be achieved by combining with real-time guidance of echocardiography. There are acceptable technology-related complications.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety and efficacy of transapical mitral valve repair with moderate-to-severe or severe mitral regurgitation (MR) by using LifeClip system. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 7 symptomatic patients with moderate-to-severe or severe MR who received transapical mitral valve repair by using the LifeClip system in our hospital from July to November 2021. There were 5 males and 2 females with an average age of 76.0±7.5 years. ResultsThere were 2 patients with degenerative MR and 5 patients with functional MR. All of the procedures were successful and 6 patients received 1 LifeClip while the other one patient received 2. The operation time was 135.7±46.9 min, the mechanical ventilation time was 12 (3, 14) h, and the hospital stay time was 18.1±4.1 d. No serious complications or death occurred during the perioperative or follow-up period. MR reduction by ≥2 grades was achieved in all the patients at the one-month follow-up. The classification of cardiac function was improved in varying degrees. Conclusion Transapical mitral valve repair using the LifeClip system shows good safety and efficacy for severe MR patients, and MR degree is significantly improved at early follow-up. However, the benefit of LifeClip should be validated in a larger sample size of Chinese population and through long-term follow-up.
ObjectiveTo compare the early clinical efficacy and safety of transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TA-TAVI) with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). MethodsA retrospective study was conducted on patients with severe AS admitted to the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China from January 2020 to March 2024. According to the surgical method, patients were divided into a SAVR group and a TA-TAVI group, and the clinical data of the two groups were compared. ResultsA total of 71 patients were included, with 45 in the SAVR group, including 33 males and 12 females, aged 16-75 (60.89±10.88) years; 26 in the TA-TAVI group, including 15 males and 11 females, aged 61-83 (72.85±5.53) years. The results showed that postoperative aortic valve transvalvular flow velocity (2.31±0.38 m/s vs. 2.60±0.50 m/s, P=0.019) and transvalvular pressure gradient (21.09±6.03 mm Hg vs. 28.20±10.79 mm Hg, P=0.001) in the TA-TAVI group were lower than those in the SAVR group. In terms of left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, both preoperative (56.73±7.74 mm vs. 52.36±7.00 mm, P=0.017) and postoperative (52.61±7.18 mm vs. 48.04±4.78 mm, P=0.010) values in the TA-TAVI group were larger than those in the SAVR group. In terms of left ventricular ejection fraction, the preoperative value in the TA-TAVI group was lower than that in the SAVR group (58.00%±13.84% vs. 64.87%±7.63%, P=0.026), but there was no statistical difference between the two groups after surgery (P=0.670). The operation time and drainage volume on the first day after surgery in the TA-TAVI group were shorter or lower than those in the SAVR group (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in the postoperative hospital stay, ICU stay, or postoperative mechanical ventilation time (P>0.05). In addition, no serious complications occurred in patients after SAVR, while perivalvular leakage (2 patients), third-degree atrioventricular block (1 patient), and death (3 patients) occurred in the TA-TAVI group. ConclusionFor elderly patients with severe AS and poor cardiac function, TA-TAVI technology has minimal surgical trauma, high safety and effectiveness, and is a safe and effective treatment option besides traditional surgical operations.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has entered a new and critical stage after nearly 20 years of rapid development in China. There are various types of TAVR valves with different advantages. TAVR can be performed through various approaches such as transfemoral artery, transapical, trans-carotid artery, or trans-ascending aorta. The first two are more common. Echocardiography plays an important role in the perioperative period of TAVR. Compared to transfemoral approach, transapical TAVR has different key points in perioperative echocardiography which is lack of unified and accurate standards. This standard is specially formulated to focus on the key points of echocardiography in preoperative screening, intraoperative monitoring and postoperative follow-up in order to promote the safe and effective application of transapical TAVR in the clinic.
Objective To investigate the feasibility and early efficacy of transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) combined with transcatheter mitral valve edge-to-edge repair (TEER) in patients with high-risk aortic valve lesions combined with severe mitral regurgitation. Methods The clinical data of patients who underwent "one-stop" transapical TAVR+TEER in our hospital from August 2022 to October 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Results Five patients were collected, including 3 males and 2 females with a mean age of 66.6±1.8 years. Four patients had aortic valve insufficiency combined with mitral regurgitation and one had aortic valve stenosis and insufficiency combined with mitral regurgitation. All patients successfully completed transapical TAVR+TEER, and the immediate postoperative echocardiographic results revealed that none of them had more than mild perivalvular leakage and mitral regurgitation, and the prosthetic valves were in good position and function. At 1 week postoperatively, echocardiographic results showed 5 patients with no displacement of the prosthetic valve, detachment of the mitral clip, or damage to the leaflets. At 1 month postoperatively, cardiac function was improved to varying degrees in 4 patients, and 1 patient died of multiorgan failure. At 2 months postoperatively, 1 patient died of cerebrovascular accident, and at 3 months postoperatively the echocardiographic results of the remaining 3 patients revealed that there was no more than mild perivalvular leakage or mitral regurgitation, and the patients' postoperative cardiac function and daily life ability were significantly improved. Conclusion In high-risk aortic valve lesions combined with severe mitral regurgitation, "one-stop" transapical TAVR+TEER is feasible with favorable early efficacy and safety.
The technique of transcatheter aortic valve implantation has become increasingly mature. Although the transapical approach has a certain degree of minimally invasive trauma, it still has the characteristics such as heart beating without cardiopulmonary bypass, and the low technical requirements of catheter guide wire. In particular, the valve path is short and coaxial, which is easy to manipulate, and pure regurgitation and stenosis can be easily operated and are not subject to the limit of peripheral artery stenosis. It is still one of China's main approaches for transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Its perioperative management still has specific features and differs from the femoral artery approach. In addition, there is little relevant literature abroad. Therefore, domestic experts in this field were organized to discuss the development of perioperative management specifications to provide reference and techniques support for developing this field in China and further improve the quality of clinical operation and perioperative management. It will provide more safe and more effective medical services to these patients.
We reported a 26-year-old male who was diagnosed with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with left ventricular aneurysm. The location of the hypertrophic myocardium and the extent of resection were accurately assessed preoperatively using 3D modeling and printing technology. Myectomy was performed via transapical approach, and the intraoperative exploration was consistent with the description of the preoperative 3D modeling. The patient underwent the surgery successfully without any complications during the hospitalization, and the cardiopulmonary bypass time was 117 min, the aortic cross-clamping time was 57 min, and the hospital stay time was 7 d. The postoperative echocardiography demonstrated left ventricular cavity flow patency. This case provides a reference for the management of patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
ObjectiveTo compare the in-hospital outcomes of transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TA-TAVR) for bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) patients. MethodsPatients (including BAV and TAV patients) who underwent TA-TAVR with the J-ValveTM in West China Hospital from July 2014 to July 2020 were included consecutively. The clinical outcomes of the patients were analyzed. ResultsA total of 354 patients were included in the study, 75 in the BAV group and 279 in the TAV group. There were 229 males and 125 females with a mean age of 72.2±6.0 years. No death occurred during the procedure, and the overall technical success rate was 97.7%. The all-cause in-hospital mortality rate was 1.4%. Twenty (26.7%) patients with BAV and 46 (16.5%) patients with TAV had mild or higher perivalvular leaks immediately after the procedure. No patients with BAV required permanent pacemaker implantation postoperatively, while 13 (4.7%) TAV patients required permanent pacemaker implantation, with an overall pacemaker implantation rate of 3.7%. One (1.3%) BAV patient and 7 (2.5%) TAV patients developed acute kidney injury postoperatively. One (1.3%) BAV patient and 1 (0.4%) TAV patient developed perioperative myocardial infarction. The average postoperative hospital stay was 7.6±3.6 d for BAV patients and 8.6±6.1 d for TAV patients. There was no statistical difference in primary or secondary in-hospital outcomes between BAV and TAV patients (P>0.05). ConclusionCompared to TAV patients, BAV patients have similar in-hospital outcomes, with a low incidence of adverse clinical outcomes, which provides preliminary evidence for its implementation in Chinese patients with a high proportion of BAV.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) techniques have been rapidly developed in recent years. Current guidelines and studies mainly focus on aortic stenosis patients treated by transfemoral approach, but they are not completely appropriate to patients with isolated aortic regurgitation or other patients who need transapical TAVR (TA-TAVR), which affects the standardized treatment of those patients. Therefore, our team pronounced the operational standards for TA-TAVR, based on fully reviewing the literatures worldwide, combined with the opinions of experts from 15 heart centers with rich experience in carrying out TA-TAVR in China. This standard aims to provide clinicians with standardized diagnosis and treatment principles of TA-TAVR and improve the quality of TA-TAVR in China.