Smoke signals – do they help to predict TAVI-associated stroke risk?

Disabling stroke is the complication patients fear most when discussing treatment of severe aortic stenosis. The reported incidence of stroke following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) varies from 1 to 9%: the PARTNER 3 trial demonstrated a 30-day stroke rate of 0.6% in low-risk patients, and the SENTINEL trial demonstrated a 9% stroke rate in the control group of patients1,2. As the threshold for considering TAVI moves into a younger and lower-risk population, the impact of disabling stroke on morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs becomes even more relevant.

Patient and procedural factors contribute to the risk of stroke early after TAVI and include ...