Thomas K. Jones

BACKGROUND: The COMPASSION S3 trial (Congenital Multicenter Trial of Pulmonic Valve Dysfunction Studying the SAPIEN 3 Interventional Transcatheter Heart Valve) was designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the SAPIEN 3 transcatheter heart valve (THV) for transcatheter pulmonic valve replacement in patients with a dysfunctional right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) conduit or previously implanted valve in the pulmonic position. Here, 5-year clinical and hemodynamic outcomes for patients in the main cohort and the continued access protocol are reported. METHODS: The COMPASSION S3 trial was a single-arm, multicenter study enrolling patients with either moderate-to-severe pulmonic regurgitation, a mean RVOT gradient ≥35 mm Hg, or both. The primary end point was THV dysfunction at 1 year, a nonhierarchical composite of RVOT reintervention, ≥moderate total pulmonic regurgitation, and mean RVOT gradient >40 mm Hg. Clinical and echocardiographic outcomes were assessed at baseline, discharge, 30 days, 6 months, 1 year, and then annually to 5 years. RESULTS: Between 2016 and 2020, 69 patients were enrolled and successfully implanted with the SAPIEN 3 THV. The mean patient age was 32.1 years, and most patients (70.8%) had a conduit as the most recent prior intervention. At 5 years, the rate of THV dysfunction was 12.0%: 3 patients required reintervention, 2 patients had ≥moderate pulmonic regurgitation, and 1 patient had a mean gradient >40 mm Hg. There were 3 cases of device-related endocarditis (4.4%). One death occurred on postoperative day 560 due to cardiogenic shock. No cases of tricuspid valve injury, stent fractures, or valve malposition were reported. Post-transcatheter pulmonic valve replacement, mean gradients were low and stable through 5-year follow-up. Through 5 years, >95% of patients had ≤mild total pulmonic regurgitation, and 97.9% of patients had none/trace paravalvular regurgitation. CONCLUSIONS: Five-year results from the COMPASSION S3 trial demonstrate that the SAPIEN 3 THV provides durable RVOT relief with low rates of reintervention or endocarditis, supporting the device as a safe and versatile option for transcatheter pulmonic valve replacement across diverse anatomies and clinical scenarios. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02744677.

BACKGROUND: The Alterra Adaptive Prestent provides a landing zone for implantation of the 29 mm SAPIEN 3 transcatheter heart valve (THV) in patients with a dysfunctional right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) to treat pulmonary regurgitation (PR). Here, we report 3-year outcomes from a pooled analysis of patients who underwent Alterra/SAPIEN 3 THV implantation enrolled in the ALTERRA pivotal trial, Continued Access Protocol, and Pulmonic Delivery System Registry. METHODS: This multicenter, prospective trial enrolled patients with moderate or greater PR and RVOT/pulmonary valve anatomy suitable for implantation. The nonhierarchical composite end point of THV dysfunction was examined at 6 months: RVOT/pulmonary valve reintervention, moderate or greater PR, and mean RVOT/pulmonary valve gradient ≥35 mm Hg. Individual components of the composite, as well as additional clinical and echocardiographic outcomes were examined up to 3 years. RESULTS: The Alterra/SAPIEN 3 THV system was implanted in 118 patients at 14 sites. At 6 months, THV dysfunction was 3.5% (4/113). At 3 years, 97.3% of patients in the valve implant population had freedom from reintervention, 100% of patients had a mean RVOT/pulmonary valve gradients <35 mm Hg, and 93.3% of patients had mild or lesser total PR. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of all-cause mortality was 3.5% at 3 years. There were no cases of coronary artery compression, hemopericardium, or endocarditis. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis reports the longest follow-up in the largest cohort of patients from the ALTERRA trials. The Alterra Adaptive Prestent with the SAPIEN 3 THV system has shown excellent procedural outcomes and is effective in reducing PR at 3-year follow-up. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT03130777.

BACKGROUND: The Harmony transcatheter pulmonary valve (TPV) is designed to treat severe pulmonary regurgitation in the native or surgically repaired right ventricular (RV) outflow tract. Early outcomes after TPV replacement with the Harmony valve have been positive, but longer-term data are limited. METHODS: The study included patients who received a commercially available TPV22 or TPV25 device as part of the nonrandomized, prospective Native Outflow Tract Early Feasibility Study, Harmony Pivotal Trial, and Continued Access Study. Patients completed at least 3 years of follow-up, and outcomes to 5 years were reported when available. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients were catheterized, and 86 were successfully implanted with a Harmony TPV. Median duration of follow-up was 5 (range 0–6) years in the TPV22 group and 3 (1–4) years in the TPV25 group. At 3 years, all patients with a TPV22 and 96% of those with a TPV25 had ≤mild pulmonary regurgitation. By magnetic resonance imaging, significant improvements from preimplant to 2 years were observed in RV end-diastolic volume index, RV to left ventricular end-diastolic volume ratio, and effective RV stroke volume (all P <0.001). SF-36 quality-of-life scores improved after Harmony implantation and were sustained over 3 years. Early cases of ventricular tachycardia resolved, and there were no new arrhythmias. Adverse events up to 5 years included 3 deaths unrelated to the device or procedure, 2 cases of endocarditis that were treated (1 medically, 1 transcatheter debulking of a vegetation) and resolved, 6 patients with RV outflow tract obstruction and thrombosis resulting in valve-in valve procedures, and 1 major stent fracture resulting in surgical explant. CONCLUSIONS: At 3 to 5 years, Harmony TPV replacement resulted in sustained valve competence, beneficial cardiac remodeling, and improved quality of life. Continued monitoring is needed to assess long-term outcomes and valve performance. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT01762124; NCT02979587.

BACKGROUND: Transverse aortic arch obstruction is a challenging lesion for which stent implantation provides a potentially important alternate therapy. The objectives were to evaluate the technical, procedural, and medium-to-long-term clinical outcomes of percutaneous stent implantation of transverse aortic arch obstruction. METHODS: This is a retrospective, multicenter study of transverse aortic arch stent implantation. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed. RESULTS: Index catheterization included 187 stent implants in 146 patients. The median age is 14.3 years (interquartile range, 9.3–19), weight is 53 kg (30–69), and follow-up is 53 months (12–120). The most common stent design was open cell (n=90, 48%). Stents overlapped 142 arch vessels (37 carotid arteries) in 118 (81%) cases. Technical and procedural success rates were 100% and 88%, respectively. Lower weight ( P =0.018), body surface area ( P =0.013), and minimum-to-descending aortic diameter ratio ( P P 10 mm Hg was associated with increased odds of reintervention at all time points when controlling for each final dilation diameter, weight, and minimum-to-descending aortic diameter ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Transverse aortic arch stent implantation has high rates of technical, procedural, and medium-to-long-term clinical success. Aortic gradient >10 mm Hg is associated with increased odds of reintervention at 1-year and most recent follow-ups. Open cell stent design was frequently used for its advantages in conformability, perfusion of arch vessels, low fracture rate, and the ability to perform effective angioplasty of side cells.

Significant hemolysis is a recognized complication of transcatheter high‐velocity shunt occlusion using some Amplatzer devices. We describe a case of severe hemolysis following occlusion of an iatrogenic Gerbode defect with an Amplatzer muscular ventricular septal defect occluder successfully managed by transcatheter device removal and reocclusion with a Gore Cardioform Atrial Septal Defect Occluder.

Background: The Melody valve was developed to extend the useful life of previously implanted right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) conduits or bioprosthetic pulmonary valves, while preserving RV function and reducing the lifetime burden of surgery for patients with complex congenital heart disease. Methods: Enrollment for the US Investigational Device Exemption study of the Melody valve began in 2007. Extended follow-up was completed in 2020. The primary outcome was freedom from transcatheter pulmonary valve (TPV) dysfunction (freedom from reoperation, reintervention, moderate or severe pulmonary regurgitation, and/or mean RVOT gradient >40 mm Hg). Secondary end points included stent fracture, catheter reintervention, surgical conduit replacement, and death. Results: One hundred seventy-one subjects with RVOT conduit or bioprosthetic pulmonary valve dysfunction were enrolled. One hundred fifty underwent Melody TPV replacement. Median age was 19 years (Q1–Q3: 15–26). Median discharge mean RVOT Doppler gradient was 17 mm Hg (Q1–Q3: 12–22). The 149 patients implanted >24 hours were followed for a median of 8.4 years (Q1–Q3: 5.4–10.1). At 10 years, estimated freedom from mortality was 90%, from reoperation 79%, and from any reintervention 60%. Ten-year freedom from TPV dysfunction was 53% and was significantly shorter in children than in adults. Estimated freedom from TPV-related endocarditis was 81% at 10 years (95% CI, 69%–89%), with an annualized rate of 2.0% per patient-year. Conclusions: Ten-year outcomes from the Melody Investigational Device Exemption trial affirm the benefits of Melody TPV replacement in the lifetime management of patients with RVOT conduits and bioprosthetic pulmonary valves by providing sustained symptomatic and hemodynamic improvement in the majority of patients. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT00740870.

Objective: We compared 5‐year outcomes of transcatheter pulmonary valve (TPV) replacement with the Melody TPV in the post‐approval study (PAS) and the investigational device exemption (IDE) trial.Background: As a condition of approval of the Melody TPV after the IDE trial, the Food and Drug Administration required that a PAS be conducted to evaluate outcomes of TPV replacement in a “real‐world” environment. The 5‐year outcomes of the PAS have not been published, and the IDE and PAS trials have not been compared.Methods: The cohorts comprised all patients catheterized and implanted at 5 IDE sites and 10 PAS sites. Differences in trial protocols were detailed. Time‐related outcomes and valve‐related adverse events were compared between the two trials with Kaplan–Meier curves and log‐rank testing.Results: 167 patients (median age, 19 years) were catheterized and 150 underwent TPV replacement in the IDE trial; 121 were catheterized (median age, 17 years) and 100 implanted in the PAS. Freedom from hemodynamic dysfunction (p = .61) or any reintervention (p = .74) over time did not differ between trials. Freedom from stent fracture (p = .003) and transcatheter reintervention (p = .010) were longer in PAS, whereas freedom from explant (p = .020) and TPV endocarditis (p = .007) were shorter. Clinically important adverse events (AEs) were reported in 14% of PAS and 7.2% of IDE patients (p = .056); the incidence of any particular event was low in both.Conclusions: Hemodynamic and time‐related outcomes in the PAS and IDE trials were generally similar, confirming the effectiveness of the Melody TPV with real‐world providers. There were few significant complications and limited power to identify important differences in AEs. The lack of major differences in outcomes between the two studies questions the usefulness of mandated costly post‐approval studies as part of the regulatory process for Class III medical devices.

As if Percutaneous ASD Closure Needed More Proof. Structural Heart. Accepted 13 December 2018.