Association between surgical risk and 30-day stroke after transcatheter versus surgical aortic valve replacement: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Stroke is a feared complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).

Objectives: With this meta-analysis we aimed to evaluate the incidence of 30-day stroke with TAVR and SAVR focusing on its possible correlation with surgical risk.

Methods: Major electronic databases were searched for studies published between January 2002 and October 2019 reporting the rates of 30-day stroke after TAVR and SAVR. Data were pooled using fixed- and random-effects models. The primary outcome of the study was stroke rate within 30-day from TAVR or SAVR. Results were stratified according to surgical risk score (high, intermediate and low).

Results: A total of 23 studies were identified (TAVR: 14,589 patients; SAVR: 11,681 patients). Regardless of the model used, in the overall population TAVR was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of stroke compared with SAVR (fixed effect: OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.66-0.92, p = .003; random-effects: OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.64-1.00, p = .045). Rates of 30-day stroke after TAVR and SAVR were not significantly different in the high- (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.44-1.98, p = .105) and intermediate-risk groups (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.63-1.36, p = .319), while low-risk patients had a lower rate of 30-day stroke after TAVR than SAVR (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.50-0.83, p < .001). Meta-regression showed a significant association between surgical risk score and 30-day stroke rate (p = .007).

Conclusions: TAVR is associated with a lower risk of 30-day stroke compared with SAVR, mainly as a result of the significant advantage observed in patients at low surgical risk.