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.