Bleeding following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has important prognostic implications.

This study sought to evaluate the impact of baseline mean platelet volume (MPV), a routinely used marker of platelet reactivity, on bleeding events in a contemporary real-world TAVR cohort.

Patients undergoing TAVR between February 2010 and May 2019 with available preprocedural MPV were included. Low MPV (L-MPV) was defined as MPV ≤10fL and high MPV (H-MPV) as MPV >10fL. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of major/life-threatening bleeding complications (MLBCs) at one year follow-up.

Among 1,111 patients, 398 (35.8%) had L-MPV and 713 (64.2%) had H-MPV. The rate of MLBCs at 1 year was higher in L-MPV patients compared with H-MPV patients (22.9% vs. 17.7% respectively, P=0.034). L-MPV was associated with vascular access-site complications (36.2% vs. 28.9%, P=0.012), early (<30 days) major bleeding (15.6% vs. 9.4%, P<0.01) and red blood cell transfusion >2 units (23.9% vs. 17.5%, P=0.01). No impact of baseline MPV on overall death, cardiovascular death and ischemic events (myocardial infarction and stroke) was evidenced. Multivariate analysis using Fine and Gray model identified preprocedural hemoglobin (sHR 0.84, CI95% [0.75–0.93], P=0.001), preprocedural L-MPV (sHR 1.64, CI95% [1.16–2.32], P=0.005) and CT-ADP post-TAVR (sHR 2.71, CI95% [1.87–3.94], P<0.001) as predictors of MLBCs (Figure 1, Table 1).

Preprocedural MPV was identified as an independent predictor of MLBCs one year after TAVR, regardless of the extent of platelet inhibition and primary hemostasis disorders. MPV should be regarded as a simple, common and valuable biomarker of bleeding prediction after TAVR.