Citations

ABSTRACT Introduction Etripamil is a fast‐acting intranasally self‐administered calcium‐channel blocker developed for termination of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT). Prior studies have demonstrated safety and efficacy of etripamil for PSVT termination following an initial medically supervised test dose during sinus rhythm. NODE‐303 is an open‐label, single‐arm study that evaluated etripamil for multiple, at‐home PSVT episodes, without test dose before first use. Methods Patients applied an ECG monitor at symptom onset and self‐administered etripamil (70 mg) if a vagal maneuver was unsuccessful. ECG monitoring occurred for ≥ 1 h following study drug administration. A repeat 70‐mg dose was introduced during the study for symptoms persisting 10 min after the first dose. Safety measures included treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and ECG arrhythmia‐surveillance. Efficacy measures were captured for PSVT termination during treatment of each of the multiple episodes. Results 1054 perceived PSVT episodes were etripamil‐treated in 503 of 1116 patients enrolled. TEAEs within 24 h were mostly mild or moderate and localized: 30.2% of patients experienced nasal discomfort, nasal congestion (13.9%), rhinorrhea (13.1%), epistaxis (7.4%). TEAE frequencies decreased across multiple PSVT episodes and were similar for single versus repeat doses. For first PSVT episodes, 70.5% of patients converted to sinus rhythm by 60 min post etripamil (median time to conversion = 18.3 min [14.2–25.6]). Conversion in earlier episodes was consistently predictive of conversion in subsequent episodes. Conclusions Etripamil nasal spray self‐administered in a real‐world setting was well tolerated, effective, and had a consistent safety profile as a single‐ or repeat‐dose regimen across multiple PSVT episodes. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04072835

Abstract OBJECTIVES Safety, efficacy and durability are important considerations when selecting a bioprosthesis for aortic valve replacement (AVR). This study assessed 7-year clinical outcomes and haemodynamic performance of the Avalus bioprosthesis. METHODS Patients indicated for surgical AVR were enrolled in this prospective, nonrandomized trial, conducted across 39 sites globally. The primary end-point of this analysis was freedom from surgical explant or percutaneous valve-in-valve reintervention due to structural valve deterioration (SVD) at 7 years of follow-up, determined using Kaplan–Meier (KM) analysis. We also evaluated a composite end-point of SVD and/or severe haemodynamic dysfunction requiring reintervention. Survival, valve-related safety events and haemodynamic performance were assessed. Deaths and safety events were adjudicated by an independent clinical events committee. RESULTS A total of 1132 patients underwent surgical AVR. Mean age was 70 years; 854 patients (75%) were men. The mean STS risk of mortality was 2.0 ± 1.4%, and 659 patients (58%) had a New York Heart Association classification of I/II. One or more concomitant procedures were performed in 577 patients (51%). At 7 years, the Kaplan–Meier rate of freedom from SVD/severe haemodynamic dysfunction requiring reintervention was 1.2% (0.5–2.5%) with no cases adjudicated as SVD. The survival rate was 82.6% (79.5–85.0%). The KM event rate was 5.7% (4.3–7.7%) for reintervention, 6.3% (4.9–8.3%) for endocarditis and 0.4% (0.1–1.1%) for valve thrombosis. Mean aortic gradient, dimensionless velocity index and effective orifice area were 13.8 ± 5.9 mmHg, 0.42 ± 0.09 and 1.99 ± 0.53 cm2, respectively. CONCLUSIONS This analysis demonstrated excellent durability of the Avalus valve with good clinical outcomes and stable haemodynamic performance through 7 years of follow-up.

Abstract Background Etripamil nasal spray (NS) is a fast-acting, self-administered calcium-channel blocker in development for the conversion of AV-nodal dependent paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) in a medically unsupervised setting. Prior studies show favorable safety and efficacy in converting single episodes of PSVT to sinus rhythm (SR). Purpose In NODE-303, patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments assessed quality of life (QoL) over multiple etripamil-treated episodes of PSVT. Methods NODE-303 was an event-driven, multi-center, open-label Phase 3 study in North and South American patients with documented PSVT that evaluated the safety and efficacy of etripamil in PSVT termination, over multiple episodes and without the need for prior test dosing. Enrolled patients who perceived PSVT symptoms applied an ambulatory ECG cardiac monitoring system (CMS), performed a pre-trained vagal maneuver and, if symptoms persisted, self-administered etripamil NS 70 mg. A study amendment allowed a repeat dose (etripamil NS, 70 mg) if symptoms persisted 10 min after the first dose. Each patient could self-treat up to 4 episodes. Safety was assessed through adverse events, clinical data, and ECG CMS recordings. The Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM; validated for acute episodic assessments) and other PROs were administered, and healthcare utilization data were acquired. Patients completed PROs at baseline (BL), monthly, and per PSVT episode, which collected information on symptoms, episode characteristics, rescue medications, and emergency room visits. Additional PROs were the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ), Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ), and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Results There were higher proportions of patients reporting mild, minimal or no disease severity, every 6 months, than at BL; extremely severe, severe, and moderate disease severity was reported by smaller proportions of patients than at BL, though incomplete surveys at later visits may limit this analysis. Anxiety and stress about future PSVT episodes were consistently reduced from BL. Measures of treatment satisfaction, effectiveness, and convenience were consistent across multiple episodes, and were at levels considered favorable for the TSQM instrument (Table 1). Rates of emergency-room visits and hospital admissions across multiple, treated PSVT episodes were similar to those observed in trials assessing single episodes (Table 2). The BIPQ, CAQ or SF-36 had no notable changes from BL. Conclusions Etripamil self-administration was associated with patient-reported improvements in degree of disease severity, decreased anxiety and stress over future PSVT episodes, and levels of treatment satisfaction, effectiveness, and convenience considered favorable for respective PRO instrument. Using a symptom-prompted, self-administered treatment for PSVT could potentially improve QoL measures and reduce healthcare resource utilization.

Importance In patients with severe aortic valve stenosis at intermediate surgical risk, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with a self-expanding supra-annular valve was noninferior to surgery for all-cause mortality or disabling stroke at 2 years. Comparisons of longer-term clinical and hemodynamic outcomes in these patients are limited. Objective To report prespecified secondary 5-year outcomes from the Symptomatic Aortic Stenosis in Intermediate Risk Subjects Who Need Aortic Valve Replacement (SURTAVI) randomized clinical trial. Design, Setting, and Participants SURTAVI is a prospective randomized, unblinded clinical trial. Randomization was stratified by investigational site and need for revascularization determined by the local heart teams. Patients with severe aortic valve stenosis deemed to be at intermediate risk of 30-day surgical mortality were enrolled at 87 centers from June 19, 2012, to June 30, 2016, in Europe and North America. Analysis took place between August and October 2021. Intervention Patients were randomized to TAVR with a self-expanding, supra-annular transcatheter or a surgical bioprosthesis. Main Outcomes and Measures The prespecified secondary end points of death or disabling stroke and other adverse events and hemodynamic findings at 5 years. An independent clinical event committee adjudicated all serious adverse events and an independent echocardiographic core laboratory evaluated all echocardiograms at 5 years. Results A total of 1660 individuals underwent an attempted TAVR (n = 864) or surgical (n = 796) procedure. The mean (SD) age was 79.8 (6.2) years, 724 (43.6%) were female, and the mean (SD) Society of Thoracic Surgery Predicted Risk of Mortality score was 4.5% (1.6%). At 5 years, the rates of death or disabling stroke were similar (TAVR, 31.3% vs surgery, 30.8%; hazard ratio, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.85-1.22]; P = .85). Transprosthetic gradients remained lower (mean [SD], 8.6 [5.5] mm Hg vs 11.2 [6.0] mm Hg; P < .001) and aortic valve areas were higher (mean [SD], 2.2 [0.7] cm 2 vs 1.8 [0.6] cm 2 ; P < .001) with TAVR vs surgery. More patients had moderate/severe paravalvular leak with TAVR than surgery (11 [3.0%] vs 2 [0.7%]; risk difference, 2.37% [95% CI, 0.17%- 4.85%]; P = .05). New pacemaker implantation rates were higher for TAVR than surgery at 5 years (289 [39.1%] vs 94 [15.1%]; hazard ratio, 3.30 [95% CI, 2.61-4.17]; log-rank P < .001), as were valve reintervention rates (27 [3.5%] vs 11 [1.9%]; hazard ratio, 2.21 [95% CI, 1.10-4.45]; log-rank P = .02), although between 2 and 5 years only 6 patients who underwent TAVR and 7 who underwent surgery required a reintervention. Conclusions and Relevance Among intermediate-risk patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis, major clinical outcomes at 5 years were similar for TAVR and surgery. TAVR was associated with superior hemodynamic valve performance but also with more paravalvular leak and valve reinterventions.