Surgical or Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Replacement in Intermediate-Risk Patients

Among patients at intermediate risk for aortic-valve surgery, transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR) was noninferior to standard surgery, although each procedure had a different pattern of adverse events. Transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR) with the use of a self-expanding prosthesis is superior to medical therapy in patients with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis in whom surgical aortic-valve replacement has been associated with prohibitive risk. 1 Among patients who are at high risk for standard surgery, TAVR may be the preferred option. 2 – 4 The adoption of TAVR in patients with aortic stenosis at high risk for surgery has been rapid, as shown by enrollment in the ongoing Society of Thoracic Surgeons–American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry. 5 The comparative efficacy of TAVR and surgery has been less well studied among patients . . .