Surgical aortic valve replacement in elderly patients: effects on physical performance, cognitive function and health-related quality of life

Neurocognitive function in procedures correcting severe aortic valve stenosis: patterns and determinants

Background

Neurocognitive changes occurring after a surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedure for the correction of severe aortic stenosis (AS) have not been widely addressed and, if addressed, have produced conflicting results. The purpose of this study is to identify the pre-procedural neurocognitive pattern and its determinants in a setting of elderly (>65 years) patients with severe AS undergoing SAVR or TAVI and the changes occurring at a 2-3 month follow-up.

Methods

This was a prospective cohort study included in the Italian Registry on Outcomes in Aortic Stenosis Treatment in Elderly Patients. Patients were assessed both before and after (2-3 months) the procedure using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test. Data on periprocedural demographics, clinical factors, and outcome measures were collected.

Results

Before the procedure, 70% of the patients demonstrated a MoCA score <23 points, which was indicative of cognitive dysfunction. The factors associated with neurocognitive dysfunction were age, functional capacity, chronic heart failure, and hemoglobin levels. After the procedure, there was an overall improvement in the MoCA score of the patients, but 28% of the patients showed a reliable worsening of their condition. The factors associated with MoCA worsening were platelet transfusions and the amount of red blood cell units transfused.

Conclusion

The correction of severe AS leads to an improvement in neurocognitive function after 2-3 months. This improvement does not differentiate between SAVR and TAVI after matching for pre-procedural factors. The only modifiable factor associated with pre-procedural neurocognitive function is anemia, and anemia correction with red blood cell transfusions is associated with a worsening of neurocognitive function. This leads to the hypothesis that anemia correction before the procedure (with iron and/or erythropoietin) may limit the risk of a post-procedural worsening of neurocognitive function.

Quality of Life Measures in Aortic Stenosis Research: A Narrative Review

BACKGROUND

Elderly patients with aortic stenosis (AS) not only have a reduced life expectancy but also a reduced quality of life (QoL). The benefits of an AS intervention may be considered a balance between a good QoL and a reasonably extended life. However, the different questionnaires being used to determine the QoL were generally not developed for the specific situation of patients with AS and come with strengths and considerable weaknesses. The objective of this article was to provide an overview of the available QoL instruments in AS research, describe their strengths and weaknesses, and provide our assessment of the utility of the available scoring instruments for QoL measurements in AS.

SUMMARY

We identified and reviewed the following instruments that are used in AS research: Short Form Health Survey (SF-36/SF-12), EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), the Illness Intrusiveness Rating Scale (IIRS), the HeartQoL, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHF), the MacNew Questionnaire, and the Toronto Aortic Stenosis Quality of Life Questionnaire (TASQ).

KEY MESSAGES

There is no standardized assessment of QoL in patients with AS. Many different questionnaires are being used, but they are rarely specific for AS. There is a need for AS-specific research into the QoL of patients as life prolongation may compete for an improved QoL in this elderly patient group.