Data Resource Profile: Heart Valve Society Aortic Valve Database (HVS AV Database)

Background Multicenter, standardized, long-term data are essential for assessing outcomes of patients following aortic (valve) treatment. To facilitate this, the international Heart Valve Society (HVS) Aortic Valve (AV) Database was established. This paper provides an overview of the HVS AV Database. Methods The HVS AV Database includes adult patients with aortic valve disease (regurgitation and/or stenosis), with or without ascending aorta aneurysm, undergoing surgical or transcatheter intervention. It has an ambispective design, and centers interested in interventional outcomes following aortic (valve) intervention can participate free of charge. Results The variables collected in the database are harmonized with the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) standard Set of Patient-Centered Outcome Measures for Heart Valve Disease (HVD). In total, 33 outcome variables, including 12 clinical and 21 echocardiographic, and 286 case-mix variables are collected. Currently, the database includes 10,893 patients from 78 participating centers worldwide, with 7910 patients having undergone aortic valve repair and 1968 aortic valve replacement. Participating centers can extract their own data at any time, and multicenter research proposals are encouraged. The database is compliant with GCP, FDA, GDPR and HIPAA regulations, supporting data transfer across continents. Conclusions The HVS AV Database is aimed at improving outcomes for patients requiring intervention for aortic (valve) disease. Through uniform scientific reporting, it contributes to global efforts to standardize data capture, improve patient outcomes and shift the focus from device to global patient outcomes.