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(HealthDay News) — Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is associated with clinically important benefits in physical function and disease-specific quality of life, according to research published in the February 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Caroline A. Kim, MD, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the changes in functional status and quality of life after TAVR. Sixty observational studies and two randomized controlled trials (involving 11,205 patients) were included in analyses.
The researchers observed a clinically important decrease in New York Heart Association class seen in most studies at six–11 months (range, −0.8–−2.1 classes) and at 12–23 months (range, −0.8–−2.1 classes). Over 12 months, there was a clinically important improvement in the Short Form-12/36 Health Survey physical component score (range, 4.9–26.9 points) and a smaller change in the mental component score (range, 1.0–8.9 points). Clinically important improvements were seen in other disease-specific measures, but in general health measures, these were observed less consistently.
“Transcatheter aortic valve replacement provides clinically important benefits in physical function and disease-specific measures of quality of life but modest benefits in psychological and general health measures,” the authors write.
One author disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
