SAVR After TAVR is Rare, But Linked to a High Mortality Risk

While transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has revolutionized the treatment of aortic stenosis, a new study in the American Journal of Cardiology showed that there may be a high risk of in-hospital mortality for patients who undergo surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) after TAVR. Because of questions surrounding the long-term durability of TAVR, future cardiac surgery often has to be considered. In patients who underwent SAVR after TAVR because of various complications, the mortality rate after one year was 53 percent. This number is higher than past studies and must be monitored as TAVR becomes a more common procedure. Read the full study here.