Trends in Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in More Than 3,000 Consecutive Cases in the Era of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantations

Objectives Biological prostheses for surgical aortic valve replacement (sAVR) are increasingly being considered in patients < 60 years of age. Likely, preserving the option of performing a transcatheter valve-in-valve (ViV) procedure in cases of structural valve deterioration has contributed to this development. We assessed the use pattern in sAVR over an 11-year period. Methods From 2002 through 2012, a total of 3,172 patients underwent sAVR at our center. Results Mean age was 70.4 +/- 10.6 years and mortality was 1.9%. From 2002 to 2012, mean manufacturer given valve size increased from 22.8 +/- 1.7 to 23.9 +/- 2.0 mm (p < 0.001). Mean true internal diameter and effective orifice area increased from 19.6 to 20.3 mm (p = 0.027) and 1.41 to 1.56 cm(2) (p < 0.001), respectively. Use of mechanical valves decreased from 10.9 to 1.8% (p < 0.001), and patients were younger in 2012 than in 2002 (52.8 +/- 16.5 vs. 41.0 +/- 14.3 years; p = 0.028). Conclusion Profound change of use pattern in sAVR was observed as indication for biological prostheses became more liberal. Larger prostheses were implanted during the observational period. Especially in younger patients, optimal sizing is essential to preserve the option for subsequent ViV procedures.