LAUSR

Cardiology Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a treatment for patients with a narrow aortic valve, a condition called aortic stenosis, which reduces the transvalvular pressure gradient. However, only some patients experience improved quality of life after the procedure. To understand how valvular, ventricular, and systemic vascular conditions contribute to improvements after TAVR, Ben-Assa et al. studied 70 patients undergoing the procedure. Patients with lower vascular impedance and higher left ventricular stroke work before the procedure had greater improvements in quality of life after TAVR. Analyzing valve, ventricle, and arterial system hemodynamics could help identify patients likely to benefit from TAVR and inform timing of intervention. Sci. Transl. Med. 11 , eaaw0181 (2019).