Is Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation as Cost-effective as Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement?

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as an efficacious and cost-effective treatment for inoperable patients with severe aortic stenosis.1 For high-risk patients, existing evidence suggests that TAVI has similar peri-procedural mortality and stroke outcomes compared to surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR), with higher incidences of paravalvular leak, permanent pacemaker requirement and vascular injuries after TAVI and higher incidences of major bleeding after AVR.2 Regarding the cost-effectiveness of TAVI, a recent systematic review examining its incremental cost effectiveness ratio in relation to AVR found a paucity of data to demonstrate economic competitiveness of the transcatheter approach.
Source: The American Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research