QOL Improvement After TAVI Is Large, Independent of Comorbid Condition Burden

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has drastically changed aortic stenosis treatment, especially for patients not eligible for surgery. Patient selection is important, although outcomes for high-risk patients are difficult to predict. Objective: To examine associations between chronic conditions and outcomes after TAVI and to describe palliative care utilization rates. Design: Cohort study. Methods: The investigators linked Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy registry data to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services claims data to identify patients who underwent TAVI from 2013 to 2020, their major comorbid conditions (MCCs) contained in the Charlson-Deyo Score (stratified by low, medium, and high), palliative care encounters and outcomes of mortality (30-day and 1-year), quality of life (QOL; using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire [KCCQ]), and days alive out of hospital. They performed a sophistic more...