Impact of Right Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction on Outcome in Aortic Stenosis.

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary hypertension is an established outcome predictor in patients with aortic stenosis (AS), but the prognostic impact of right ventricular dysfunction has not been well studied.

METHODS

We included 2181 patients (50.4% men; mean age, 77 years) with aortic valve area <1.3 cm and analyzed the occurrence of all-cause death during follow-up according to tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) quartiles.

RESULTS

Patients in the lowest quartile (TAPSE <17 mm) were at a high risk of death, whereas survival was comparable for the 3 other quartiles. Five-year survival was 55±2% for TAPSE <17 mm, 72±2% for TAPSE of 17 to 20 mm, 71±2% for TAPSE of 20 to 24 mm, and 73±2% for TAPSE >24 mm (overall <0.001). TAPSE <17 mm was associated with increased mortality after adjustment for established prognostic factors (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.55 [95% CI, 1.21-1.97]) and after further adjustment for aortic valve replacement (AVR; adjusted HR, 1.47 [95% CI, 1.15-1.87]). The excess mortality risk associated with TAPSE <17 mm was noticed in both patients managed initially conservatively (adjusted HR, 1.46 [95% CI, 1.20-1.76]) and patients who underwent early (within 3 months after diagnosis) AVR (adjusted HR, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.03-2.52]). In asymptomatic patients with severe AS and preserved ejection fraction, TAPSE <17 mm was independently predictive of mortality (adjusted HR, 2.14 [95% CI, 1.31-3.51]). Early AVR was associated with similar survival benefit in TAPSE <17 and ≥17 mm (adjusted HR, 0.23 [95% CI, 0.16-0.34] for TAPSE <17 mm, adjusted HR, 0.26 [95% CI, 0.19-0.35] for TAPSE ≥17 mm; for interaction, 0.97).

CONCLUSIONS

Right ventricular dysfunction is an important and independent predictor of mortality in AS. TAPSE <17 mm at the time of AS diagnosis is a marker of poor survival under conservative management and after AVR even in asymptomatic patients with severe AS. AVR was associated with a pronounced reduction in mortality independent of TAPSE suggesting that AVR should be discussed before right ventricular dysfunction occurs in severe AS.