Discussion
Reported deaths, injuries, and malfunctions attributed to percutaneous
aortic valve prostheses rose dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic
years of 2020 and 2021. Reported deaths for percutaneous aortic valve
prostheses rose 124% from 2019 to 2020, and rose 133% from 2019 to
2021; reported injuries for percutaneous aortic valve prostheses rose
25% from 2019 to 2020, and remained elevated in 2021; and reported
malfunctions for percutaneous aortic valve prostheses rose 39% from
2019 to 2020, and remained elevated in 2021. These results suggest a
need to re-evaluate transcatheter aortic valve replacement during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Transcather aortic valve implantation was encouraged
over surgical aortic valve replacement during the pandemic, as
transcatheter interventions are associated with shorter hospital stays
and a lower risk of contracting COVID-19 during hospitalization (3).
However, the risk of transcatheter aortic valve replacement rises as the
underlying disease progresses, making the procedure more challenging
when patients wait longer (4). Surgical aortic valve replacement can
provide excellent short-term and long-term results, with low morbidity
and mortality, in low surgical risk patients (5). Future research should
evaluate the long-term effects of pandemic-related changes in clinical
decision-making for heart valve replacement.