Study Population

This prospective observational study enrolled consecutive patients clinically and echocardiographically diagnosed with aortic valve stenosis and collected blood samples for CPC measurement at Mayo Clinic. Patients who underwent invasive AVR (surgical AVR or transcatheter aortic valve implantation) and were implanted with BVs were included in the present study. In the final analysis, patients who had a complete Doppler echocardiographic follow‐up for ≥2 years after AVR at our institution were studied. AVR was performed within 60 days of CPC measurement. The indications for invasive therapies, valve type, and procedure strategy selected were based on the consensus of the institutional heart team.

The study protocol was approved by the Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board (# 06–002204). The present study complied with the Declaration of Helsinki for the investigation in human beings, and all patients provided written informed consent before enrollment in this study.