Assessment of Kidney Function After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), although associated with an increased risk for acute kidney injury (AKI), may also result in improvement in renal function. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the magnitude of kidney function improvement (KFI) after TAVR and to assess its significance on long-term mortality. Design: This is a prospective single center study. Setting: The study was conducted in cardiology department, interventional unit, in a tertiary hospital. Patients: The cohort included 1321 patients who underwent TAVR. Measurements: Serum creatinine level was measured at baseline, before the procedure, and over the next 7 days or until discharge. Methods: Kidney function improvement was defined as the mirror image of AKI, a reduction in pre-procedural to post-procedural minimal creatinine of more than 0.3 mg/dL, or a ratio of post-procedural minimal creatinine to pre-procedural creatinine of less than 0.66, up to 7 days after the procedure. Patients were categorized and compared for clinical endpoints according to post-procedural renal function change into 3 groups: KFI, AKI, or preserved kidney function (PKF). The primary endpoint was long-term all-cause mortality. Results: The incidence of KFI was 5%. In 55 out of 66 patients patients, the improvement in kidney function was minor and of unclear clinical significance. Acute kidney injury occurred in 19.1%. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m² was a predictor of KFI after multivariable analysis (odds ratio = 0.93 to develop KFI; confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.91-0.95, P <.001). Patients in the KFI group had a higher Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS) score than other groups. Mortality rate did not differ between KFI group and PKF group (43.9% in KFI group and 33.8% in PKF group) but was significantly higher in the AKI group (60.7%, P <.001). Limitations: The following are the limitations: heterozygous definitions of KFI within different studies and a single center study. Although data were collected prospectively, analysis plan was defined after data collection. Conclusions: Improvement in kidney function following TAVR was not a common phenomenon in our cohort and did not reduce overall mortality rate.