Alan S. Go, MD, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (KPSOM) Professor of Health Systems Science, has coauthored a study known as the KP-VALVE project, an extensive, decade-long investigation involving over a half million patients and aiming to unravel the natural history of aortic stenosis (AS) and the factors influencing patient outcomes with this type of cardiovascular disease.
A core aspect of the study involved looking at the accuracy of physician-assessed AS severity compared to quantitative parameters. The severity of AS varied among the patients examined, ranging from moderate to severe. The study found that physician-assessed AS severity closely aligned with patient outcomes, with patients having moderate AS experiencing outcomes similar to those with mild AS. Conversely, patients with moderate-to-severe AS exhibited outcomes more akin to individuals with severe AS, highlighting the importance of precise assessments.
In addition to physician assessments, the study underscored the significance of quantitative AS parameters in predicting patient outcomes. Patients with more severe AS parameters faced an elevated risk of adverse events such as death, cardiovascular hospitalization, and aortic valve replacement.
