Aortic Valve Stenosis

The goal of this trial is to to determine whether use of a novel SGLT2 inhibitor, Enavogliflozin 0.3 mg once daily is superior to placebo, when added to standard-of-care, in reducing the composite of major cardiovascular events and Heart Failure events (hospitalization for Heart Failure or urgent Heart Failure visit) among patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis and with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

The objective of this study is to demonstrate safety and efficacy of the EmStop Embolic Protection System when used as indicated to capture and remove thrombus/debris during self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a key-hole technique to replace an aortic heart valve that is narrowed and/or leaking. Although TAVI is a safe and effective treatment for a faulty aortic heart valve, the new TAVI valve will not last forever. Because it is a 'tissue' valve (made from the lining of a cow or pig heart), the valve will fail after a period of time as the tissue degenerates. When the TAVI valve fails, a viable treatment option is to perform a 'Redo TAVI' procedure, implanting a second TAVI valve inside the first failing valve. The main purpose of this study is to carefully evaluate patients being treated by Redo TAVI in order to document the short-term and long-term outcomes of the procedure. The study will also obtain information about which factors predict those outcomes. The study will also assess outcomes in patients who present with TAVI valve failure but are not suitable for Redo TAVI, and instead are treated either by open-heart surgery and surgical aortic valve replacement, or by medical therapy (medication). The study will provide doctors the information they need to understand the best way to treat patients who present with TAVI valve failure, and in particular how to perform Redo TAVI procedures with the best possible outcomes for patients.

The VIVALL-2 study is a randomized trial to compare the self-expandable supra-annular Allegra and the balloon-expandable intra-annular Edwards transcatheter valve systems in patients with degenerated biological aortic surgical valve.

Aortic valve stenosis is the most common valve disease leading to surgical or percutaneous intervention in Europe and North America. Percutaneous aortic valve replacement (TAVI) is currently recommended for the management of patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis and with high; very high operative risk of aortic valve replacement surgery or intermediate operative risk of aortic valve replacement surgery after a benefit-risk assessment by a heart team and operative contraindication to conventional aortic valve replacement surgery. These indications are supported by the 2017 European Cardiology guidelines. This technique of percutaneous arterial valve implantation is most often performed via the femoral route, under local anesthesia, with placement of a prosthetic biological valve in the aortic position, impacting it into the patient's native aortic valve. TAVI has been shown to be superior to medical treatment in patients with a aortic valve stenosis at very high operative risk of conventional aortic valve replacement surgery. However, the occurrence of atrioventricular conduction disorders (de novo left bundle branch block (LBBB) or complete AVB) remains the most frequent complication after TAVI. Therefore, the rate of pacemaker (PM) implantation after TAVI remains high, ranging from 2% to 51%, with an average rate of 13%. Pacemaker implantation has several deleterious effects (increased hospitalization time, desynchronization of the left ventricle by permanent right ventricular pacing, exposure of the patient to procedural complications of pacemaker placement, and possible increase in the final cost to society of the initial hospitalization. Not all patients who received a pacemaker post TAVI implantation use their PM. The rate of Pacemaker dependency and therefore of patients who actually use their pacemaker is approximately 33-36% at 1 year after percutaneous valve implantation. In view of all the potentially deleterious consequences of post TAVI pacemaker implantation, it is therefore necessary to know which patients really justify pacemaker implantation after percutaneous valve implantation. The purpose of this study is to investigate diagnostic imaging criteria that may be predictive of the occurrence of intramyocardial conduction disorders post TAVI implantation. Although some patients present only transient conductive disturbances, the impact of tissue inflammation of the intramyocardial conduction pathways after TAVI remains to be understood.

Both contrast-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) and pre-existing chronic kidney disease are associated with an increased mortality risk in patients requiring aortic valve replacement. Nonetheless, the direct haemodynamic impact of the aortic barrage (i.e. pre-renal mechanism) on renal function compromising and its reversibility in patients undergoing trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is unknown. This registry aims to evaluate the effect of severe aortic stenosis removal on the risk of contrast-induced acute renal injury (CI-AKI) during TAVI procedures and on renal function evolution

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an established treatment for severe aortic stenosis. Despite improved procedural outcomes, neurocognitive complications such as postoperative delirium (POD) and postoperative cognitive decline (POCD) remain clinically relevant. Heart Valve Units (HVU) are specialized interdisciplinary care structures designed to improve treatment pathways and healthcare quality. However, their impact on neuropsychological outcomes has not been sufficiently investigated. HVU-NEURO is a prospective observational cohort study evaluating neuropsychological outcomes before and after implementation of an HVU. Approximately 500 patients undergoing transcatheter valve therapy will be included. Neurocognitive function will be assessed before intervention, at hospital discharge, and three months after intervention. POD will be assessed using the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC). The primary objective is to evaluate the effect of HVU implementation on postoperative cognitive decline at discharge from acute hospital care.

Heart valve diseases are among the most serious cardiovascular conditions in older age. One of the most common forms is aortic valve stenosis, a narrowing of the valve opening between the left ventricle and the main artery. As the valve becomes tighter, the heart must work harder and harder to pump blood through the body. This process often develops slowly over many years and initially causes no clear symptoms. As a result, the condition is frequently detected only in advanced stages, when warning signs such as shortness of breath, chest pain, or dizziness appear. Without treatment, aortic valve stenosis can become life-threatening. If detected early, however, very effective treatment options are available today. Up to now, the disease has been reliably diagnosed mainly through echocardiography. Yet this method is complex, costly, and requires specialized medical staff. A simple, affordable, and broadly accessible screening option does not yet exist. The interdisciplinary clinical research project explores whether conventional smartphones could fill this gap. Almost all modern devices are equipped with sensors such as microphones, accelerometers, and gyroscopes. These can capture both heart sounds and subtle vibrations of the chest. The research team is investigating whether reliable diagnostic information for the diagnosis of aortic valve stenosis can be extracted from such recordings. To achieve this, the signals are processed with newly developed methods and analyzed using artificial intelligence. For the study, several hundred patients with and without valve disease will be examined. The smartphone results will be compared with established diagnostic standards, particularly echocardiography, to test accuracy and reliability. If successful, the approach could enable a straightforward, digital heart check at home using nothing more than a conventional smartphone. Such a tool would provide an accessible, low-cost, and widely available method for early detection, helping more people receive timely and potentially life-saving treatment.

Paravalvular regurgitation (PVR) is an important complication of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) that is associated with a 2.5-fold increase risk of mortality. Transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) is considered as the gold standard to assess the severity of PVR and guide the physician to perform corrective procedures during TAVI, but it requires general anesthesia (GA). With such approach (TEE+GA), the PARTNERII trial has demonstrated that very low rate of PVR (3,5%) can be achieved with current devices. Registries have demonstrated a strong trend for using a mini-invasive approach in which the procedure is performed under conscious sedation (CS) without TEE. However, several studies raised concerns on the safety of this mini-invasive approach concerning the PVR rate. Thus, the accurate and real-time assessment of the presence and severity of PVR is an unmet clinical need to optimize TAVI without TEE guidance. A recent study reported that a blood biomarker reflecting the Von Willebrand factor (VWF) activity, i.e. the closure time with adenosine diphosphate (CT-ADP), is a valuable non-invasive, highly reproducible, and easy to perform alternative to TEE for PVR evaluation. The hypothesis is that the measurement of CT-ADP during TAVI performed without TEE guidance can improve both the detection of significant PVR and thus the procedural and clinical outcomes (primary objective).

A multicentre cross-sectional cohort study to assess the difference in bioprosthetic micro-calcification activity, detected with 18F-NaF PET-CT, as early marker of transcatheter valve degeneration, between patients with vs. without subclinical leaflet thrombosis at five years after TAVI; and between patients with intra-annular vs. supra-annular TAVI prostheses.

Asymmetrical and inadequate expansion of transcatheter heart valves (THVs) have been described as a key predictor of impaired valve hemodynamic performance predisposing patients for bioprosthetic valve dysfunction (BVD) and death. Post-dilatation using the original delivery system balloon at the identical filling volume after deployment of balloon-expandable THVs represents an invasive strategy to potentially optimize expansion and reduce asymmetry of balloon-expandable THVs. Currently, the efficacy and safety of routine post-dilatation has never been assessed in a randomized controlled fashion. The present randomized controlled DUOTAP trial aims to assess efficacy and safety of routine post-dilatation on THV expansion, hemodynamics, durability, and associated clinical outcomes in patients with severe aortic stenosis.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a well-established alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for the treatment of patients with severe aortic stenosis regardless of surgical risk. While TAVR and SAVR share some of the benefits and risks, they importantly differ with regards to invasiveness, time to recovery, hemodynamics, as well as options for re-intervention and possibly valve durability. An early benefit of TAVR may be offset by late risks. Therefore, current guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology recommend an integration of patient values and preferences for the selection of the treatment modality. The objective of the TOGETHER trial is to investigate the efficacy of a structured shared decision making approach (SDM) to improve patient-centered outcomes for the choice between SAVR and TAVR. TOGETHER is an investigator-initiated, randomized, open-label, single-center clinical trial. A total of 140 patients referred for treatment of symptomatic severe aortic stenosis and deemed to undergo TAVR or SAVR according to heart team decision will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to structured SDM or usual care.

This study is designed to evaluate the success rate of transfemoral implantation of the Hydra THV biological aortic valve prosthesis in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. The device is used in accordance with its Instructions for Use as a CE-marked transcatheter heart valve system. The study will assess procedural success, device performance, and early clinical outcomes following implantation. Patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) via the transfemoral approach will be followed to evaluate safety and effectiveness outcomes, including short- and mid-term clinical follow-up.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether the type of sedation medication used during a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) affects how people recover after the procedure. The main question this study aims to answer is whether different sedation regimens (propofol, dexmedetomidine, or midazolam with fentanyl) lead to differences in quality of recovery on the first day after the procedure. Researchers will compare three commonly used sedation medications (propofol, dexmedetomidine, or midazolam with fentanyl) to determine whether they lead to differences in recovery following a TAVR. Participants will: * Be enrolled before their scheduled TAVR procedure * Be randomly assigned to receive one of the three sedation medications during their procedure * Complete short surveys on postoperative days 1 and 7 about pain levels, how they feel during their recovery, and how satisfied they were with their anesthesia experience

The study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) using the Hydra transcatheter aortic heart valve (THV) series, in patients with severe aortic stenosis up to 1-year after the procedure. This will include an evaluation of the preservation of coronary access post implant by attempting to selectively engage both the right and left coronary arteries through standardised angiographic views. The study will also examine the utility of 72 hours of post discharge remote ambulatory continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring using the novel Checkpoint Cardio System where it is clinically appropriate.

The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TAVI using the Hydra transcatheter aortic valve (THV) series, in patients with severe aortic stenosis up to 1-year after the procedure. Additionally, the study will assess the role of geometry in the development of new conduction abnormalities based on the analysis of post-operative CT scan at 1-month in patients who had undergone transcatheter aortic valve replacement with a self-expanding Hydra THV series.

Hydra-IT is a multicenter observational study aim to collect clinical, procedural and follow-up data and evaluate the short, medium and long term results of Hydra TAVI System in patient with severe aortic stenosis.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) represents an effective treatment to improve symptoms and prognosis in patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) (1-2). Giving an established uniform approach towards anticoagulation and antithrombotic therapy after TAVR in the post POPULAR-TAVI era, recent data coming from the analysis of different trials, highlight the relevance of the patient's background on the occurrence of ischemic and bleeding events. Despite this a targeted antithrombotic strategy remains unexplored and all patients undergoing TAVR without other indication to DAPT or OAC, were currently treated according with the concept of "less is more" (only SAPT or only OAC) regardless the risk level (5-6). The keys points of the project will be 1) the assessment of ischemic and bleeding risk after TAVR stratified according with antithrombotic therapy and surgical risk; 2) the evaluation of the impact of prostheses type and the complete blood count variables (hemoglobine and platelets) on the daily average ischemic and bleeding risk and 3) the evaluation of the dynamic therapeutic changes after TAVR during the follow up.

Whereas PCI before TAVR was previously recommended despite its uncertain prognostic role, recent data underline the possibility of a postponed coronary intervention using a commissural alignment technique. This approach allows easy coronary re-engagement through the valve stent frame with a trade off paid of procedure complexity. Considering the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the increasing percentage of younger patients treated with TAVI, investigate whether a simpler procedure with random implantation of Navitor valve is not inferior in terms of coronary re-access, is required The key point of the project will be the evaluation of the feasibility of coronary re-engagement after a Navitor valve randomly implanted.

The objective of this Pilot Study is to demonstrate the efficacy of the Hemocept device in detecting changes in arterial blood volume and cardiac efficiency.

This prospective observational study aims to investigate the impact of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and transcatheter mitral valve edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER) on sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in patients with significant valvular heart disease. Patients undergoing TAVI or M-TEER will be evaluated with full polysomnography prior to the intervention and at 6 months follow-up. Changes in sleep parameters, including apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), central and obstructive apnea indices, oxygen desaturation, and sleep architecture, will be assessed. In addition, the study will explore the association between changes in SDB and echocardiographic as well as arrhythmic parameters. The findings are expected to improve the understanding of the interaction between valvular heart disease and SDB and to identify potential benefits of transcatheter interventions on sleep-related outcomes.

MiECS is one of the largest multicentre randomised controlled trials on extracorporeal circulation conducted under the auspices of Minimal Invasive Extracorporeal Technologies International Society (MiECTiS). It is designed to ultimately address the emerging effectiveness of MiECC systems in the light of modern perfusion practice worldwide. The primary hypothesis is that MiECC, as compared to conventional CPB (cCPB), reduces the proportion of patients experiencing serious perfusion-related postoperative morbidity after cardiac surgery. The study will be led by the Clinical Research Unit of the Special Unit for Biomedical Research and Education (SUBRE), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine in Greece (AUSoM) with Chief Investigator Professor Kyriakos Anastasiadis, who is a key-opinion-leader in the field of MiECC, founder and Executive Board of MiECTiS.

Patients with aortic valve stenosis often undergo transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) today. This biological valve can wear out or leak over time. In such cases, a second catheter-based procedure may be necessary, in which a new valve is inserted into the old one - a so-called TAVI-in-TAVI procedure. This method is considered a gentle alternative to repeat open heart surgery. The trial will include around 300 patients from several European centres who are scheduled to undergo or have already undergone a TAVI-in-TAVI procedure with the Myval valve. Participation includes follow-up observation for a period of up to five years. Data collection will take place exclusively within the framework of regular medical care. This includes information on pre-existing conditions, the procedure, complications and subsequent hospital stays. Imaging examinations such as echocardiography or CT scans can also be centrally evaluated if they are performed routinely.

The issue of valve durability has become one of the most important aspects in the TAVR field in recent years since transcatheter aortic valve replacement has been progressively applied to younger patients with a low co-morbidity burden. The SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA valve represents the last generation of the SAPIEN valve system and includes several important iterations (newer leaflet calcium-blocking technology targeting calcium-attracting free aldehydes, dry tissue storage, newer skirt textile design) that should translate into a favorable impact on valve durability at mid- to long- term follow-up

Data on valve performance following ViV-TAVR has usually been obtained with the use of Doppler-echocardiography. However, some reports have shown significant discordances in the evaluation of mean transvalvular gradient between echocardiography and catheterization, with an overestimation of the real gradient with echo (vs. cath) in most cases. Thus, the incidence of procedural-device failure may be lower than that reported in the ViV-TAVR literature,