Patients who had transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) had similar health status after five years with those who had surgical AVR, although there was a short-term health status benefit in the TAVR group, according to a new study.

Dr. Suzanne Arnold, cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, and colleagues studied high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis who had either TAVR or surgical AVR.

"Surviving patients treated with either TAVR or surgical AVR had substantial improvements in disease-specific and generic health status," Dr. Arnold said. "These improvements were maximal at approximately 6 to 12 months and maintained through 2 years with gradual decline in physical health status thereafter."

Read the full Healio article: No difference in sustained health status improvements in TAVR vs. surgical AVR