The Safety and Efficacy of Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement Combined with Electrophysiology Procedures

The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of combining transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR) and electrophysiology (EP) procedures. A retrospective review was undertaken to identify TPVR and EP procedures that were concomitantly performed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital from January 2011 to October 2019. Procedural and follow-up data were compared between patients who underwent TPVR and EP procedures in the same setting to those who received TPVR or EP procedure separately and that were similar in age and cardiac anatomy. A total of 8 patients underwent combined TPVR and EP procedures. One patient was excluded due to lack of adequate control, leaving seven study subjects (57% female; median age at time of procedure 16 years). The median follow-up time was 11.5 months (range 2–36 months). Patients who received combined TPVR and EP had shorter recovery times (combined: median 18.9 h; IQR 18.35–19.5 vs separate: median 27.98 h; IQR 21.42–39.25; p -value 0.031), shorter hospital length of stay (combined: median 27.5 h; IQR 26.47–31.4 vs separate: median 38.4 h; IQR 33.42–51.50; p -value 0.016), and a 51% reduction in total hospital charges (combined: median $171,640; IQR 135.43–219.22 vs separate: median $333,560 IQR 263.20–400.98; p -value 0.016). There were no significant differences in radiation dose or procedure time between the combined and control groups. The median radiation time for those who had the combination procedure was 30.5 min [IQR 29.6–47.9], and the median dose area product was 215 mGy [IQR 158–935]. In conclusion, combining TPVR and EP procedures is feasible, safe, and economically advantageous.