GENDER DIFFERENCES ON CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING TRANSCATHETER PULMONARY VALVE IMPLANTATION

The impact of gender on clinical outcomes after Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Implantation (TPVI) in patients with Congenital Heart Diseases (CHDs) is not well investigated.

This is a retrospective single center study including 54 consecutive patients with CHDs referred to TPVI between 2010 and 2023 in our cardiac catheterization laboratory. Differences in–hospital, short– and medium–term outcomes between male and female were examined.

Women comprised 43% of the cohort. The mean age did not differ among the groups (female: 26 +14 yrs vs male: 27+14 yrs). No significant difference in the type of implanted valve was found according the gender (Melody Valve: 31% in females vs 40% in males, p= 0.92; Sapien 11% in females vs 16.6% in males, p= 0.85). Despite women had higher rates of peri–procedural complications (60% vs 40%, p–value =0.05), in hospital events were similar in both groups (45% in females vs 55% in males, p value =0.9). The only exitus occurred in a woman. Median medium–term follow–up was 4,1 years (range 1 months–12.2 years). Out of total 37 MACEs, 19 occured in males and 18 females, (p–value=0.18). There was no significant differences in the rate of endocarditis (33% in females vs 64% males; p–value = 0.53); re–hospitalization (48% females vs 52% in males, p–value = 0.36), arrhythmias (46% in females vs 54% in males, p–value =0.76) and re–intervention (56% females vs 44% males, p–value = 0.18) between women and men.

Women with CHDs undergoing TPVI present higher rate of peri– operative complications compared to men but showed comparable outcomes at medium term follow up .