Effect of percutaneous paravalvular leak closure on hemolysis

Objective: To study the effect of percutaneous paravalvular leak closure on hemolysis. Background: Although transcatheter PVL closure reduces heart failure and mortality in symptomatic patients with paravalvular leaks (PVL), little is known about its effect on hemolysis. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients undergoing transcatheter mitral or aortic PVL closure (January 2005–December 2016) at Mayo Clinic. Patients with anemia or abnormal hemolysis markers (LDH, haptoglobin) were included in the analysis. The primary outcome was defined as hemoglobin increase ≥ 1.5 mg/dL, decrease in LDH above median or improvement in haptoglobin. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression modeling were used to determine predictors of successful treatment of hemolysis. Results: Final study population included 168 patients (130 [77%] mitral, 38 [23%] aortic PVL). Primary outcome occurred in 70 patients (42%). Hemoglobin increased by 1.74 ± 1.69 mg/dL in patients who reached primary outcome. 57/168 (34%) patients required blood transfusion prior to PVL closure compared to 35/168 (21%) postprocedure. The mean reduction in LDH was 403 U/L. Multivariate regression showed that patients with mechanical valves were more likely to have successful outcome (P = 0.044). Conclusion: Percutaneous PVL closure is associated with modest improvement in hemolysis markers, increase in hemoglobin levels and reduction in blood transfusion requirements. This benefit is most significant in patients with mechanical valves.