Future Therapy for Low-Risk Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis—A Provider Survey

With the expansion of transcatheter aortic valve replacement in low-risk patients, we sought to explore current implanters' predictions on the future of this therapy by sending a survey to a sample of 8,261 healthcare professionals using Internet-based software. The survey contained six questions regarding physician specialty and experience, transcatheter aortic valve replacement age cutoff, optimal treatment for low-risk patients, transcatheter aortic valve replacement valve sequence, and transcatheter aortic valve replacement concerns. The majority, 29% percent, of all respondents felt that transcatheter aortic valve replacement will become the first-choice therapy for all patients, regardless of age and 70% felt that the optimal treatment would be transcatheter aortic valve replacement, with transcatheter aortic valve replacement valve-in-valve if the first valve degenerates. Regarding the sequence of transcatheter aortic valve replacement valves, 78% preferred the Edwards Sapien 3 valve (ES-3) as the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement valve followed by either a second ES-3 or Medtronic Evolut valve. Despite the high acceptance of transcatheter aortic valve replacement, many respondents (56%) felt that surgical aortic valve replacement might still remain the preferred treatment in low-risk patients due to an unknown durability of transcatheter aortic valve replacement valves. A majority of implanters see transcatheter aortic valve replacement followed by valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement as the first-line therapy for low-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis, but long-term durability of transcatheter aortic valve replacement is an unanswered concern.