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Editorials

Transcatheter valve implantation for patients with aortic stenosis: a position statement from the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), in collaboration with the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI)

^a Hôpital Bichat, Paris, France
^b Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
^c University Hospital, Coimbra, Portugal
^d Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
^e Institut Hospitalier Jacques Cartier, Massy, France
^f CHU de Rouen, Hôpitaux de Rouen, Hôpital Charles Nicolle, Rouen Cedex, France
^g Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
^h CHU, Centre Hospitalier de Rangueil, Toulouse, France
ⁱ University Hospitals of Leicester, Leicester, UK
^j Department of Health, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, London, UK
^k Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK
^l Heart Center Leipzig, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
^m University Hospital Sart Tilman, Liege, Belgium
ⁿ Hospital Clinico de Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
^o Hamburg University Cardiovascular Center, Hamburg, Germany
^p Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
^q Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
^r Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
^s CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland

Received 3 April 2008; received in revised form 3 April 2008; accepted 15 April 2008.

^_* Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 1 40 25 67 60; fax: +33 1 40 25 67 32. (Email: alec.vahanian{at}bch.aphp.fr; ottavio.alfieri{at}hsr.it).
^_** Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 02 26437102; fax: +39 02 26 43 7125. (Email: alec.vahanian{at}bch.aphp.fr; ottavio.alfieri{at}hsr.it).

Abstract

Aims: To critically review the available transcatheter aortic valve implantation techniques and their results, as well as propose recommendations for their use and development. Methods and results: A committee of experts including European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery and European Society of Cardiology representatives met to reach a consensus based on the analysis of the available data obtained with transcatheter aortic valve implantation and their own experience. The evidence suggests that this technique is feasible and provides haemodynamic and clinical improvement for up to 2 years in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis at high risk or with contraindications for surgery. Questions remain mainly concerning safety and long-term durability, which have to be assessed. Surgeons and cardiologists working as a team should select candidates, perform the procedure, and assess the results. Today, the use of this technique should be restricted to high-risk patients or those with contraindications for surgery. However, this may be extended to lower risk patients if the initial promise holds to be true after careful evaluation. Conclusion: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is a promising technique, which may offer an alternative to conventional surgery for high-risk patients with aortic stenosis. Today, careful evaluation is needed to avoid the risk of uncontrolled diffusion.

Key Words: Aortic stenosis • Valve disease • Percutaneous valve interventions

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