Psychosocial and clinical outcomes of percutaneous versus surgical pulmonary valve implantation.

Objective: This prospective non-randomised study was performed to compare the psychosocial function and clinical outcomes following surgical and percutaneous implantation of a pulmonary valve at 3 months and 1 year after treatment.

Methods: All patients were consecutively admitted for treatment by either method from June 2011 to October 2014. The data of 20 patients treated with the percutaneous technique and 14 patients treated with open heart surgery were compared. Psychosocial function was measured by the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA). We used linear mixed-effect models to investigate group changes between the psychosocial function and clinical data of 34 patients with congenital pulmonary valve disease.

Results: A significant difference in favour of the percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation group was observed regarding the ASEBA scores, specifically in the Thought problems subscale at 1 year (p=0.015), Attention problems subscale at 3 months (p=0.016) and 1 year (p=0.007) after treatment. After adjustment for the right ventricle to pulmonary artery pressure gradient at 3 months, a significant change in the Attention problems subscale (p=0.038) was noted in the percutaneous group. The New York Heart Association functional score significantly improved in both groups. The measured right ventricle to pulmonary artery pressure gradient was reduced significantly in both groups at 1 year.

Conclusions: Both methods led to significant clinical improvement. Thought and attention problems such as intrusive behaviour significantly decreased only in patients who underwent the percutaneous procedure. Complications as reintervention, bleeding and arrhythmia were only observed in the open surgery group.