Quantifying neurological function in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a routine procedure that is often performed on older adults that are high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. Patients after TAVI may experience neurological complications. However, there is a lack of objective neurological testing available for patients undergoing cardiac surgery. OBJECTIVE: This brief communication seeks to explore the use of robotic technology to quantify distinctive patterns of visuospatial, sensorimotor, and cognitive functioning in patients undergoing TAVI. METHODS: Patients undergoing TAVI were recruited for this prospective observational study. Prior to their procedure, study participants performed four robotic reaching tasks using the Kinarm robotic system. Patients repeated the assessment three months after their TAVI procedure. Significant changes in overall task score and parameters were determined. RESULTS: Ten patients were recruited and included in this brief report. In a simple reaching task, patients show significant improvement in performance post-TAVI. However, patients do not improve nor worsen in a complex reaching task after TAVI. Similarly, patients demonstrate impairments in both trail making tasks before and after their TAVI procedure. CONCLUSIONS: This study captures the variability in neurological functioning in older patients undergoing TAVI. Robotic technology and quantified assessment procedures can be extremely valuable for detecting perioperative neurological impairments in this patient population.