JAMA Cardiol. 2026 May 6. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2026.0941. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
IMPORTANCE: Sex-related disparities affect diagnosis, referral, and prognosis of aortic valvular diseases. Contemporary US data on transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) by sex are limited.
OBJECTIVE: To characterize 10-year trends in TAVI use, periprocedural complications, and long-term outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries, stratified by sex.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This nationwide, retrospective, population-based cohort study used US Medicare claims data from fee-for-service beneficiaries discharged after TAVI from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2022. The median follow-up time was 2.19 (IQR, 0.94-3.79) years. Exclusions included patients who had concomitant valve surgery, infective endocarditis, valve-in-valve TAVI, transapical TAVI, TAVI for pure aortic insufficiency, or later conversion to Medicare Advantage. Analyses were conducted between October 1, 2024, and April 1, 2025.
EXPOSURE: TAVI.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included periprocedural mortality, vascular complications, acute kidney injury, major or life-threatening bleeding, stroke, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI), and hospitalization for heart failure (HF). Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and hazard ratios (AHRs) with 95% CIs were estimated.
RESULTS: The study included 314 123 patients (141 233 women [45.0%] and 172 890 men [55.0%]). Women were older than men (mean [SD] age, female: 80.3 [7.8] years; male: 79.4 [7.7] years; standardized mean difference, 12%). The proportion of female patients who underwent TAVI declined from 47.6% in 2013 to 43.6% in 2022 (P < .001). Compared with men, women had higher periprocedural mortality (2.5% vs 2.2%; AOR, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.14-1.26]), vascular complications (5.8% vs 3.6%; AOR, 1.65 [95% CI, 1.60-1.71]), and bleeding (10.4% vs 6.8%; AOR, 1.67 [95% CI, 1.62-1.71]) but less PPI (16.9% vs 20.0%; AOR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.79-0.82]). Long-term mortality was lower in female patients (AHR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.91-0.93), although their risks of HF hospitalization, AMI, stroke, and bleeding were higher.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among Medicare beneficiaries, women constituted a progressively declining proportion of patients treated with TAVI, experienced more periprocedural complications, and demonstrated modestly better long-term survival compared with men. Further work is needed to understand factors influencing these trends and to refine sex-specific strategies for optimal outcomes.
PMID:42090130 | DOI:10.1001/jamacardio.2026.0941