Early Experience With Cerebral Embolic Protection During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in the United States
Mohamad Alkhouli, Fahad Alqahtani, Alyssa Hartsell Harris, Samuel F. Hohmann, Charanjit S. Rihal
Abstract
Despite contemporary advances in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), procedural strokes remain a weakness of the procedure. 1 Cerebral embolic protection devices (EPDs) emerged as a potential method to decrease the risk of post-TAVR strokes. However, data supporting the use of EPDs are conflicting. In the Cerebral Protection in TAVR trial, EPDs did not reduce the rate of post-TAVR stroke, although em-bolic debris was captured in 99% of filters. 2 However, observational data and pooled analyses have suggested a potential benefit of EPDs. 3,4 This study sought to evaluate the early post-US Food and Drug Administration approval experience with the Sentinel device (Boston Scientific), the only EPD available in the United States.