Aortic stenosis (AS), or narrowing of the aortic valve, is the commonest reason for having heart valve surgery in the west, that causes poor quality of life and death, if untreated. It affects ~1-in-20 adults aged >65, but the exact number and characteristics of those affected is unknown. The only treatment is to replace the valve, either through open heart surgery: surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or less invasive, ‘keyhole’ approach called transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).
Differences in treatment and outcomes in people from ethnic minorities and poorer backgrounds have been reported. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted, and possibly increased health inequalities in the UK.
The first step in tackling health inequalities is to understand the problem. We will use national data to describe the characteristics of patients undergoing SAVR/TAVI in England and explore the impact of Covid-19 on this.
This project will aim to:
- describe and compare the characteristics of patients treated for AS by sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic status; and
- see if the profile of patients treated for AS differs between pre and during Covid-19 pandemic time-periods.
The high-quality data generated from this nationwide study will lead to patient benefit by:
- Describing the characteristics of those being treated for AS, and enabling a better understanding of the extent of the problem if any are identified.
- Identifying areas for improvement.
- Informing future research and health policies to address any health inequalities that may be identified.