October 6, 2023- Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a calculation that can help identify moderate aortic stenosis patients at higher risk of dying from the condition. According to new research published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, calculating the patient’s mean arterial pressure (AugMAP) is a simple and effective way to identify those patients who may benefit from more aggressive treatment strategies.
Aortic stenosis is one of the most common cardiac valvular abnormalities, affecting about 5% of people older than 65 years. For most patients with moderate aortic stenosis, clinical guidelines call only for periodic monitoring with echocardiography, a test that uses sound waves to show how blood moves through the heart. However, growing evidence shows that patients with moderate aortic stenosis have poor longer-term survival rates and could benefit from earlier intervention.
The study looked at 4,563 patients with moderate aortic stenosis who were treated at Mayo Clinic from January 2010 through December 2020. The findings indicate that AugMAP is a better prognostic tool compared to other available measures and can detect early-stage left ventricular dysfunction before a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction is observed.