NEW ORLEANS, LA,  Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, the global leader in the science of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring, today announced the results of an economic analysis performed to determine the relative value of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in inoperable patients. This study was sponsored by Edwards and performed by the Harvard Clinical Research Institute (HCRI) in collaboration with the Saint Luke's Mid America Heart and Vascular Institute, utilizing data on patients with severe aortic stenosis enrolled in Cohort B of The PARTNER Trial, which is the first randomized, controlled pivotal trial of a transcatheter aortic heart valve.

The study demonstrated a gain in life expectancy of approximately 1.9 years for TAVR patients over non-surgical standard of care at an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of about $50,200 for each additional year of life gained, or approximately $62,000 for each quality-adjusted life year gained. In the 12 months following the procedure, TAVR patients incurred lower hospital costs as compared to patients receiving standard of care, which was attributed primarily to a significant reduction in re-hospitalizations. These data and additional details were presented today at the American College of Cardiology's (ACC) 60th Annual Scientific Session & Expo in New Orleans, La.

"For these patients who are not candidates for surgery, transcatheter aortic valve replacement significantly increases life expectancy at an incremental cost per life year gained well within the range of other commonly utilized cardiovascular technologies," said Matthew R. Reynolds, M.D., M.Sc., Director of the Economics and Quality of Life Research Center at HCRI.

"We are very pleased with the cost effectiveness of this therapy, even in this early experience with the Edwards SAPIEN valve," said Larry L. Wood, corporate vice president of transcatheter heart valves.

Source: Edwards Lifesciences Corporation