Severe aortic stenosis with symptoms or left ventricular dysfunction has commonly a poor prognosis and therefore, aortic valve replacement is usually performed for patients aiming at improving their functional class and survival rate.

This retrospective study evaluated a convenience sample of patients at high risk for open surgery for the correction of aortic valve dysfunction treated with TAVI from 2013 to 2018. Data from a private healthcare organization in Belo Horizonte, Brazil were used to assess all-cause mortality. Continuous variables were expressed as mean and standard deviation. Cox proportional regression model and Log-Rank test were used to adjust the survival curve.

Fifty-two patients were included in the study (mean 83 ± 5.7 years of age, range 67 to 93 years; female 55.8 percent). Patients were characterized by: left ventricular ejection fraction (n = 30; mean 52.9 percent, range 26 to 81 percent); aortic valve area (n = 36; mean 0.68 cm2, range 0.4 to 1.2 cm2); left atrium size (n = 14; range 30 to 61 ml/m2); pulmonary artery pressure (n = 20; mean 53 mmHg, range 31 to 70 mmHg). Death occurred in 19 patients during the follow-up period (mean 8.4 months, range 0 to 60 months). Nine deaths occurred within the first 30 days of follow-up (17.3 percent) and 14 (26.9 percent) in the first year. Stroke occurred in three patients (5.8 percent) in the post-implant period. A pacemaker device was required for nine patients (17.3 percent).

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement for patients at high risk for surgery. Real-world studies might result in a better understanding of the local team expertise on TAVI utilization.