At 12 months post-TAVR, self-expanding valves demonstrated significantly lower mean prosthetic aortic valve gradients during exercise compared to balloon-expanding valves (8.0 vs 21.5 mm Hg, p=0.01).
Observational (n=28)
Blinded core laboratory
No
Does valve type (self-expanding vs balloon-expanding) affect exercise hemodynamics in patients 12 months after TAVR?
In a small prospective pilot study, self-expanding valves demonstrated lower resting and exercise mean gradients compared to balloon-expanding valves at 12 months post-TAVR.
Absolute Event Rate: 8% vs 21.5%
p-value: p=0.01
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has transformed the treatment of severe aortic stenosis; however, up to 20% to 30% of patients continue to experience symptoms that limit quality of life after the procedure.1 As TAVR expands to lower-risk and younger patients, addressing these persistent symptoms is becoming increasingly important. The Small Annuli Randomized to Evolut or SAPIEN Trial (SMART) recently demonstrated that self-expanding valves (SEVs) are associated with lower resting mean gradients than balloon-expanding valves (BEVs), particularly in patients with small annuli.
Shah et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Severe aortic stenosis (n=28). Self-expanding valves (SEV) vs. Balloon-expanding valves (BEV) was evaluated on Mean prosthetic aortic valve gradient during exercise at 12 months (p=0.01). At 12 months post-TAVR, self-expanding valves demonstrated significantly lower mean prosthetic aortic valve gradients during exercise compared to balloon-expanding valves (8.0 vs 21.5 mm Hg, p=0.01).