Thrombotic Risk and Antithrombotic Strategies After Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement

Highlights

• The risk of THV thrombosis seems to be relevant after TMVR.

• Routine anticoagulant therapy and serial clinical and imaging follow-up is suggested to mitigate this risk.

• Future dedicated studies are needed to better investigate THV thrombosis and refine antithrombotic strategies after TMVR.

Abstract

Severe mitral regurgitation (MR) is fairly common in the general population and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although surgical mitral valve (MV) repair and replacement are well established treatment options for MV disease, as much as one-half of patients with severe, symptomatic MR are not referred for surgery due to prohibitive procedural risk. Novel transcatheter alternatives are therefore being developed to provide an alternative treatment for these patients. A growing experience with transcatheter MV replacement (TMVR) strategies is accumulating and promising early results have been reported. However, the risk of transcatheter heart valve (THV) thrombosis seems to be relevant after TMVR, potentially higher than that observed after transcatheter aortic valve replacement, and routine anticoagulant therapy appears to be necessary to mitigate this risk. Hereafter, the authors: 1) review available evidence on thrombotic risk after TMVR (including new dedicated THVs for native MV, valve-in-valve, valve-in-ring, and valve-in-mitral annular calcification); and 2) discuss the antithrombotic treatment strategies after TMVR.