*TAVI with SAPIEN 3 and SAPIEN 3 Ultra was proven superior to surgery on the composite primary endpoint of death, stroke and rehospitalisation at 1 year in female patients.

The RHEIA Trial: Female-only, investigator-initiated study

Randomized researcH in womEn all comers wIth Aortic stenosis

Eltchaninoff H et al. RHEIA – Transcatheter versus surgical aortic valve replacement in women with severe aortic stenosis. Presented at ESC Congress, 30 August–2 September 2024, London, UK.

Establishing evidence in women

Recent data have demonstrated that, compared with men, women have a lower risk of death after TAVI but a higher risk of death after sAVR.1 In addition, compared with men, women experienced fewer complications with TAVI than sAVR, as seen in the PARTNER 3 Trial at 1 and 5 years.1,2

However, women were under-represented in those trials, and they were not designed to assess the benefits for women specifically.1,2 Data from a dedicated randomised trial evaluating the difference in outcomes in women are needed.

The RHEIA Trial

The first woman-only randomised controlled trial in severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (sSAS).3 This investigator-initiated, multicentre, international trial demonstrates the superiority of TAVI with the SAPIEN 3 platform over sAVR in female patients with sSAS for the primary endpoint of all-cause mortality, stroke and rehospitalisation at 1 year.

The RHEIA Trial is the first randomised trial in sSAS that includes:

  • Only female patients
  • Patients with low-flow/low-gradient aortic stenosis
  • All comers, irrespective of risk

TAVI with the Edwards SAPIEN 3 platform ensures consistenly excellent outcomes in female patients3,5

The primary endpoint demonstrated the superiority of TAVI with the SAPIEN 3 platform over sAVR in female patients’ at 1 year

Death, stroke, rehospitilisation chart

Secondary endpoint analysis reaffirmed the low pacemaker rate for the Edwards SAPIEN 3/SAPIEN 3 Ultra valve in TAVI patients.

TAVI, n (%) (N=215) sAVR, n (%) (N=205) p-value
New permanent pacemaker 19 (8.8) 6 (2.9) 0.01
New onset atrial fibrillation 7 (3.3) 59 (28.8) <0.001

Excellent haemodynamic performance at 1 year for the SAPIEN 3 platform, with very low rates of paravalvular leak.

Index hospital stay, median:

TAVI: 4.0 days

sAVR: 9.0 days

Valve dysfuction at 1 year (VARC-2)

TAVI: 0.5% (n = 215)

sAVR: 0% (n=205)

Discharged to home or self-care facility:

TAVI: 90.2%

sAVR: 49.8%

Valve reintervention at 1 year

TAVI: 0.9% (n = 215)

sAVR: 0% (n=205)

Quality of life improvements sustained through 1 year

A rapid and sustained improvement in quality of life was seen after TAVI with the SAPIEN 3 platform, with a significantly larger improvement in KCCQ-OS score, even at 1 year.

Change from baseline in KCCQ-OS score at 1 year (mean ± SD):

+20.7 ± 1.1 points

+18.2 ± 1.2 points

KCCQ-OS: Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire - Overall Score

The SAPIEN 3 platform: Consistently excellent outcomes in female patients1,4,5,6

In women with sSAS, TAVI using the Edwards SAPIEN 3 or SAPIEN 3 Ultra valve is superior to sAVR for the primary endpoint of all-cause mortality, stroke or rehospitalisation at 1 year.

These data provide the first specific randomised evidence to inform the choice of treatment in women with sSAS, reinforcing the platform’s consistent lifetime management results.

Click here to see the full results

Watch presentations

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The results and impact of the RHEIA Trial Discussion

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Aortic Stenosis in female patients: The impact of the RHEIA Trial on clinical practice

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References:

1. Mack MJ, Leon MB, Thourani VH et al. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement with a balloon-expandable valve in low-risk patients. N Engl J Med. 2019;380: 1695–705.
2. Mack MJ, Leon MB, Thourani VH et al. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in low-risk patients at five years. N Engl J Med. 2023; 389: 1949–60.
3. Eltchaninoff H, Bonaros N, Prendergast B et al. Rationale and design of a prospective, randomized, controlled, multicenter study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter heart valve replacement in female patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis requiring aortic valve intervention (Randomized researcH in womEn all comers wIth Aortic stenosis [RHEIA] trial). Am Heart J. 2020; 228: 27–35.
4. Scotti A, Sturla M, Costa G et al. Evolut PRO and SAPIEN ULTRA performance in small aortic annuli: The OPERA-TAVI Registry. J Am Coll Cardiol Intv. 2024; 17: 681–692.
5. Okuno T, Tomii D, Lanz J et al. 5-year outcomes with self-expanding vs balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with small annuli. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2023; 16: 429–440.
6. Hase H, Yoshijima N, Yanagisawa R et al. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement with Evolut R versus SAPIEN 3 in Japanese patients with a small aortic annulus: The OCEAN-TAVI registry. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2021; 97: E875–86.

Medical device for professional use. For a listing of indications, contraindications, precautions, warnings, and potential adverse events, please refer to the Instructions for Use (consult eifu.edwards.com where applicable).

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