Abstract
The feasibility, safety, and efficacy of transcatheter heart valve (THV) therapies such as MitraClip and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) have made them valid therapeutic options in high-risk or inoperable patients with heart failure (HF). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrated noninferiority and superiority in terms of efficacy for 12 months of TAVI versus surgical replacement and optimal medical therapy, respectively. With regard to MitraClip, noninferiority was first demonstrated in four subgroups at 12 months and then later at 4-year follow-up. This difference in clinical outcomes between the two therapies is consistent with the discrepancy in the level of recommendation and class of evidence for TAVI and MitraClip according to recent international guidelines (IB vs. IIbC, respectively). Data from ongoing RCTs and national registries will help establish the reciprocal role and hierarchy among THV therapies, surgery, and medical treatment in patients with HF.
Candreva, Alessandro