The study, published in the December issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, analyzed data from almost 12,000 patients who underwent TAVR between February 2011 and June 2021. Of the patients studied, 32.3% had a history of atrial fibrillation and 11.8% had a history of cerebrovascular accident.
Researchers found the 30-day incidence rate of stroke was 3%, with the majority of stroke events happening in the first 48 hours after surgery. The incidence of stroke was 4.3% at one year and 7.8% at five years. Compared with the age- and sex-adjusted general population, the risk of stroke was significantly higher for men and women for two years after the procedure.
However, the risk of stroke reduces after two years to a comparable rate to the general population.
