"The EuroSCORE, as many of us know, is not very suitable in this scenario," Dr. Hamm said.
When the GARY authors compared observed vs. expected in-hospital mortality based on patients’ EuroSCORE, the observed risk for mortality was much lower than predicted by the EuroSCORE.
When the same analysis was performed using the AKL score, however, the observed and expected mortality outcomes were very similar, suggesting the "AKL score much better reflects the real outcome of the patients," he said.
Dr. Wendler remarked that in low-risk patients, however, the observed in-hospital mortality was higher than what was predicted, "questioning if this is the right treatment for this group of patients."
GARY is supported by the German Heart Foundation and unrestricted grants from heart valve manufacturers. Dr. Hamm disclosed honoraria from Medtronic and Edwards Lifesciences and participation in clinical trials with Medtronic, Edwards, Symetis, and JenaValve. Dr. Mohr reported no conflicts of interest. Dr. Wendler reported research ties with Edwards and consulting for Edwards and St. Jude Medical.