SAVR Improves Survival in Patients With Asymptomatic, Very Severe Aortic Stenosis

Background: Current guidelines recommend aortic valve replacement (AVR) in patients with symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis. Current practice may include either surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The current trend includes considering aortic valve replacement in patients with severe but asymptomatic aortic valve disease. The RECOVERY (Randomized Comparison of Early Surgery versus Conventional Treatment in Very Severe Aortic Stenosis) trial enrolled patients with very severe aortic stenosis and compared early SAVR versus watchful waiting. The current paper reports the 10-year outcomes. Objective: To present the final results of the RECOVERY trial, with an extended follow-up of >10 years. Design: Multicenter, randomized, parallel-group open-label trial. Participants: Eligible patients had very severe but asymptomatic aortic stenosis, defined as an aortic-valve area of ≥4.5 m/sec or a mean transaortic gradient of ≥50 mm Hg. more...