The 2026 annual meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) marked the 62nd year of the event. This year, the STS Annual Meeting ran from January 29 through February 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana. As the preeminent event in cardiothoracic surgery, the four-day event featured networking opportunities, informative exhibits, and exciting research presentations. 

Today, we’re featuring a curated selection of some of the abstracts presented at the conference that focused on transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Some descriptions and conclusions were edited for brevity and clarity. For a complete look at all the abstracts presented at STS2026, visit the official meeting program.

When Transfemoral Is Not an Option: Head-to-Head Comparison of Transcarotid and Transaxillary TAVR Outcomes

  • Description: [Researchers] analyzed over 16,000 alternate-access TAVR cases to compare outcomes between the transaxillary and transcarotid approaches.
  • Conclusion: While transcarotid access carries a modestly higher stroke risk, transaxillary access is associated with substantially greater morbidity, mortality, and resource use. These findings support transcarotid access as the preferred secondary TAVR route, with careful consideration of carotid disease in individualized alternate-access planning.

10-Year Institutional Experience with Acute Aortic Dissection in TAVR

  • Description: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is the most common operative modality for aortic stenosis, and TAVR-associated aortic dissection is a rare, potentially lethal complication. Prompt recognition and treatment is critical. Data outside of individual case reports remains sparse. [Researchers described their] 10-year experience with this complication and its management.
  • Conclusion: Post-TAVR aortic dissection is a rare complication, associated with high mortality of 40% in [the] series. Timely recognition and intervention are important during the index procedure, where this can be managed expeditiously with surgical or endovascular intervention dependent upon dissection morphology and patient condition.

Transcatheter Versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients ≤65 Years: A Meta-Analysis

  • Description: Current guidelines recommend surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for patients younger than 65 years with symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis. However, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) use is increasing in this population despite limited empirical evidence. [The researchers] conducted a meta-analysis to compare outcomes between TAVR and SAVR in this population.
  • Conclusion: In patients younger than 65, TAVR was associated with higher mid-term mortality and permanent pacemaker implantation rates compared to SAVR, although hospital stays were shorter.

Analysis of TAVR Outcomes with Current Generation Self-Expanding and Balloon-Expandable Prosthetic Valves: A Propensity Matched Regional Analysis

  • Description: This study compares outcomes after TAVR with current generations of the most commonly used self-expanding (SE) versus balloon-expandable (BE) transcatheter heart valves (THV).
  • Conclusion: Patients undergoing TAVR with SE-THV valves were more likely to experience stroke, need for PPM, and paravalvular leak.

Clinical Performance of the Newly Developed TAVR Explant Risk Score in a Multicenter Real-World Cohort

  • Description: [Researchers evaluated] the performance of the SAVR-after-TAVR risk score model in patients undergoing TAVR explantation. 
  • Conclusion: In this multicenter retrospective study, the STS risk score showed fair discriminative ability and adequate negative predictive value, though calibration was affected by systematic overestimation—likely influenced by the low event rate observed.

Community and Individual Barriers to Transcatheter and Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement for Aortic Stenosis in the NIH “All of Us” Cohort

  • Description: A majority of patients with aortic stenosis (AS) do not undergo SAVR/TAVR, leading to significantly higher mortality. However, limited literature exists assessing barriers to operation, resulting in lack of practice recommendations. This analysis will identify barriers to healthcare using the Andersen Model among patients with indication for valve replacement.
  • Conclusion: While severe AS was the primary indicator to receive SAVR/TAVR, community and individual socioeconomic factors are significant independent barriers, suggesting clinical indication alone is insufficient to ensure operation accessibility.

Contemporary Outcomes of Redo-TAVR vs TAVR Explant: A National Analysis of Mortality After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Re-Intervention

  • Description: Contemporary, nationwide outcomes following TAVR re-intervention via Redo-TAVR and TAVR Explant are lacking. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate nationwide long-term mortality of Redo-TAVR and TAVR Explant.
  • Conclusion: TAVR Explant demonstrates superior long-term survival compared to Redo-TAVR, however, significant procedural selection bias exists.

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