Balloon Aortic Valvuloplasty for Severe Aortic Stenosis as Rescue or Bridge Therapy

The study aimed to assess procedural complications, patient flow and clinical outcomes after balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) as rescue or bridge therapy, based on data from our registry. A total of 382 BAVs in 374 patients was performed. The main primary indication for BAV was a bridge for TAVI ( 185, 49.4%). Other indications included a bridge for AVR ( 26, 6.9%) and rescue procedure in hemodynamically unstable patients ( 139, 37.2%). The mortality rate at 30 days, 6 and 12 months was 10.4%, 21.6%, 28.3%, respectively. In rescue patients, the death rate raised to 66.9% at 12 months. A significant improvement in symptoms was confirmed after BAV, after 30 days, 6 months, and in survivors after 1 year ( < 0.05 for all). Independent predictors of 12-month mortality were baseline STS score [HR (95% CI) 1.42 (1.34 to 2.88), < 0.0001], baseline LVEF