# Rapid deployment aortic valve implantation in complex patients with infective endocarditis or aortic valve insufficiency

## TL;DR

This study shows that a rapid-deployment aortic valve prosthesis can safely and effectively treat complex heart valve conditions like infective endocarditis and aortic valve insufficiency.

## Contribution

The study evaluates the off-label use of the EDWARDS INTUITY valve in complex aortic valve cases, highlighting its potential benefits.

## Key findings

- Heart-lung machine and aortic cross-clamp times were significantly shorter for AVI patients compared to IE patients.
- The ICU stay was notably shorter for AVI patients than for IE patients.
- Postoperative echocardiography showed no paravalvular leakage or significant valvular dysfunction in any patient.

## Abstract

New prosthetic valves and surgical approaches that shorten operation time and improve the outcome of patients with aortic valve (AV) infective endocarditis (IE) and AV insufficiency (AVI) are crucial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of patients with AV IE or AVI treated with the EDWARDS INTUITY Rapid-Deployment AV prosthesis for this off-label indication.

This single-centre retrospective study analyzed data from patients who underwent AV replacement with the EDWARDS INTUITY Rapid-Deployment AV prosthesis for AV IE or regurgitation. (n = 8 for IE and n = 6 for AVI).

Heart-lung machine times were significantly shorter in the AVI group (111.3 ± 20.7 min) compared to the IE group (171.9 ± 52.4 min) (p = 0.02). Aortic cross-clamp followed a similar trend (73.7 ± 9.9 min for AVI vs. 113.4 ± 35.6 min for IE) (p = 0.02). The length of ICU stay was also shorter in the AVI group (3.8 ± 2.6 days) compared to the IE group (16.9 ± 8.9 days) (p = 0.005). Postoperative echocardiography revealed no paravalvular leakage or significant valvular dysfunction in any patient. One patient died postoperatively from aspiration pneumonia.

The INTUITY valve demonstrates as a safe option for complex AV IE and AVI surgery. Further prospective studies with larger patient cohorts are necessary to confirm these findings and explore the long-term benefits of this approach.