Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Background: Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of mortality in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) after transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR), likely due to preexisting myocardial dysfunction and suboptimal reverse remodeling. Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, unmasked by an acute increase in preload post-TPVR, may elevate left-sided filling pressures and precipitate pulmonary edema. However, the prognostic implications of elevated left-sided filling pressures prior to TPVR are currently unknown.
Objective: To evaluate the prognostic value of pre-TPVR pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) and the heart failure with preserved ejection fraction – Age, Body mass index (BMI), Atrial fibrillation (HFpEF-ABA) score in patients undergoing TPVR.
Methods: Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) undergoing TPVR were stratified by pre-implant PAWP (<15 vs ≥15 mmHg) and HFpEF-ABA score (low <25%, intermediate 25–75%, high >75%). The composite endpoint was all-cause mortality, heart transplantation, heart failure (HF) hospitalization, or sustained ventricular arrhythmia. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses assessed associations with clinical outcomes.
Results: Out of 150 patients, 37 (24.7%) had PAWP ≥15 mmHg. Elevated PAWP was associated with older age (36 [31;53] vs. 26 [19; 37] years, p<0.01), BMI (27.9 [24.5; 35.1] vs. 24.2 [20.6; 29.7] kg/m², p<0.01), and higher HFpEF-ABA score (42.8 [9.5;63.6] vs. 6.4 [2.5;18.1]%, p<0.001) compared to normal PAWP. Over a median follow-up of 38 [13; 83] months, 26 events (17.3%) occurred. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a significant difference in event-free survival based on pre-TPVR PAWP categories (log-rank p=0.002) and HFpEF-ABA score categories (log-rank p<0.001). Elevated PAWP was associated with adverse outcomes (hazard ratio [HR] 4.27, 95% CI 1.61–11.31, p=0.003) (Figure 1), but this was no longer significant after age adjustment. HFpEF-ABA ≥25% was associated with adverse outcomes (HR 10.6, 95% CI 3.8–30.0, p<0.001) (Figure 2), independent of N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide levels and left ventricular ejection fraction.
Conclusion: Albeit confounded by demographics, pre-TPVR PAWP correlated with adverse long-term outcomes, and patients with this hemodynamic profile may require closer post-procedural surveillance. HFpEF-ABA was independently associated with incident events, representing an inexpensive, novel prognostic tool in patients undergoing TPVR.