Length of Stay and Discharge Disposition Compared for TAVR Versus SAVR

September 17, 2018—The University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, announced the publication of findings from a study led by UNC investigators comparing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) versus surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) with regard to length of stay (LOS) in the hospital and discharge disposition to either home or a nursing facility. The study by Sameer Arora, MD, et al is available online in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. John P. Vavalle, MD, Assistant Professor and Medical Director of the UNC Structural Heart Disease Program, is the study’s lead investigator.

The study found that patients who underwent TAVR had a significantly shorter LOS and were significantly less likely to be transferred to a skilled nursing facility compared to patients who underwent SAVR.

As explained in the UNC announcement, the investigators analyzed hospitalization data from the National Inpatient Sample database for more than 13,000 adults ≥ 50 years of age who underwent either TAVR or SAVR between 2012 and 2015.

They found that the average LOS declined among both groups of patients, but there was a significantly greater reduction among TAVR patients.

In addition, they found that during the course of the study, the percentage of TAVR patients who were being discharged to home/home health care increased from 67.7% to 77.4%, the percentage of TAVR patients who were being transferred to skilled nursing facilities decreased from 27.1% to 20.7%, and the in-hospital mortality of TAVR patients decreased from 4.2% to 1.6%.

As reported by UNC, the study concluded, “From 2012 to 2015, there was substantial decrease in LOS and an increase in the proportion of home discharges during the same time period among patients undergoing TAVR. In addition, high-risk patients had a significantly shorter LOS when undergoing TAVR, were more likely to be discharged home, and were less likely to be discharged to a skilled nursing facility, compared to if they had undergone SAVR.”