Association of urgent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with acute kidney injury 30-days post-TAVR: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements None. Introduction Recent studies have proven that TAVR is a viable treatment option for symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS), regardless of surgical risk, even though, there are certain significant hazards associated with it. Even with the improvements in technique and experience, peri- and post-procedural complications like acute kidney injury (AKI) continue to occur frequently and are recognized for their serious clinical implications in the setting of TAVR. The vast majority of TAVR procedures conducted across the US are elective procedures on patients who are hemodynamically stable. Nonetheless, published data, imply that urgent TAVR, despite higher mortality rates is a feasible option to treat decompensated severe aortic valve stenosis. Purpose The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess AKI in patients 30-days after an urgent TAVR and compare them with the elective TAVR population. Methods This meta-analysis adhered to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A comprehensive database search was conducted using three major databases (Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Scopus) for studies comparing patients submitted to urgent versus elective TAVR. Primary endpoint of our systematic review and meta-analysis is the AKI 30-days after TAVR. Only studies provided data about our primary endpoint were considered in the analysis. Secondary endpoints included myocardial infarction (MI), permanent pacemaker implantation (PPM) and bleeding events during the first 30-days post-procedurally. Risk ratio (RR) was calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and a random-effects model (Mantel-Haenzel) was used to estimate the pooled RR. Results A total of 16 studies with 101,568 patients were added in our analysis. Among them, 16,349 patients underwent an urgent TAVR, while the rest 85,219 had an elective procedure. Our analysis showed that patients submitted to urgent TAVR have 258% higher risk for AKI during the first 30-days post-procedurally (RR: 2.58, 95%CI: 1.98, 3.37) (Figure). Data about the 30-days MI, PPM and bleeding events were available for 9, 15 and 11 studies, respectively. The risk for MI appeared to be significantly higher in patients undergone urgent TAVR (RR: 5.49, 95% CI: 1.76, 17.05), while the risk for bleeding events was slightly higher in the same group (RR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.70). No significant differences were observed in PPM incidence (RR: 1.05, 95%CI: 1.00, 1.11) during 30-days follow-up. Conclusion In this systematic review and meta-analysis, patients undergoing urgent TAVR procedures compared to elective procedures have increased risk for AKI during the first 30-days post-TAVR. Thus, when urgent TAVR is performed risk factors for AKI should be evaluated and proper renal protection measures, such as adequate hydration and minimal contrast agent administration, should be implemented. Further research in this area is warranted.