Recent study results help rethink clinical guidelines for aortic valve replacement

Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, published by Dove Medical Press, highlights one of its most recent published articles: “Clinical and Economic Outcomes After Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Medicare Patients.”

Five-year mortality and costs are substantially greater for high risk than for non-high risk Medicare patients undergoing aortic valve replacement surgery. On average, high risk patients incurred costs that were 36% higher than non-high risk costs over the 5-year period ($144,183 vs. $106,277), while mortality was twice as high in the high risk group (66.7% vs. 33.2%). These findings indicate that further research is needed to understand whether newer approaches to aortic valve replacement, such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement, may be a lower cost, clinically valuable alternative.

According to Dr.Frank Papatheofanis, journal editor-in-chief, "This is an excellent argument for risk stratification in a not uncommon condition in an ever-widening elderly patient base. The methodological approach is highly appropriate and yields timely information. These results should help rethink clinical guidelines for aortic valve replacement."

The authors of the article are as follows: Mary Ann Clark, The Neocure Group LLC; Francis G Duhay and Ann K Thompson, Edwards Lifesciences Corporation; Michelle J Keyes and Benjamin T Stockwell, The Burgess Group LLC; Lars G Svensson, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The Cleveland Foundation; Robert O Bonow, Division of Cardiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; and David J Cohen, Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute.

Risk Management and Healthcare Policy is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal focusing on all aspects of public health, policy, and preventative measures to promote good health and improve morbidity and mortality in the population.

Dove Medical Press Ltd is a privately held company specializing in the publication of Open Access peer-reviewed journals across the broad spectrum of science, technology and especially medicine.

Updated 23 July 2014