Patient-reported outcomes after referral for possible valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis.

OBJECTIVES: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important outcome after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). To improve interpretation of HRQoL, mean score change and change in terms of minimal important difference (MID) were assessed using validated instruments for measuring patient-reported outcomes in patients with severe aortic stenosis referred for possible SAVR. METHODS: Of the 442 included patients with severe aortic stenosis evaluated for possible SAVR, 351 were referred to SAVR (operated) and 91 to medical treatment (unoperated). At presurgical evaluation and 1 year postoperatively, HRQoL was assessed using SF-36v2 and EQ-5D. Results were compared with outcomes reported in unoperated patients. We explored the association of clinical factors and improvements corresponding to MID. RESULTS: Among the operated patients, statistically significant change was found for EQ-5D scores and SF-36 scale scores for physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality and physical summary score. The largest proportion of operated patients achieving change corresponding to at least MID was 61.5% for physical summary score. Change in unoperated patients also related largely to physical scales of the SF-36. However, smaller proportions of unoperated patients reported improvements, and larger proportions reported decline reaching MID. Baseline scores, but no clinical covariates, were consistently associated with improved HRQoL reaching MID across instruments for those referred to SAVR. CONCLUSIONS: This study found improvement in HRQoL 1 year after SAVR for patients with severe aortic stenosis. Results in unoperated patients suggest that HRQoL deteriorates 1 year after evaluation of possible SAVR.