American Society of Hirudotherapy

Impact of diabetes mellitus on short term vascular complications after TAVR: Results from the BRAVO-3 randomized trial

Randomized controlled trial published in International journal of cardiology (2019)

Last Updated: June 18, 2026Reviewed by: ASH Editorial Board
Research article — evidence reviewArticle reference
Evidence: Randomized controlled trialClinical TrialsSafety & Infection ControlGoel R et al. · International journal of cardiology, 2019

Abstract

AIMS: The impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on clinical outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of DM on short-term clinical outcomes after TAVR in a large randomized trial population. METHODS AND RESULTS: BRAVO-3 trial randomized 802 patients undergoing trans-femoral TAVR to procedural anticoagulation with bivalirudin or unfractionated heparin. The study population was divided according to the presence of DM, and further stratified according to the use of insulin. Net adverse cardiovascular outcomes (NACE - death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke or major bleeding by Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 3b or above) was the primary outcome in-hospital and at 30-days. Of the total 802 randomized patients, 239 (30%) had DM at baseline, with 87 (36%) being treated with insulin. At 30-days, DM patients experienced numerically higher rates of net adverse cardiovascular events (16.3% vs. 14.4%, p=0.48) and acute kidney injury (19.7% vs. 15.1%, p=0.11), while non-DM (NDM) patients had numerically higher rates of cerebrovascular accidents (3.6% vs. 1.7%, p=0.22). After multivariable adjustment, DM patients had higher odds of vascular complications at 30-days (OR 1.57, p=0.03) and life-threatening bleeding both in-hospital (OR 1.50, p=0.046) and at 30-days (OR 1.50, p=0.03) with the excess overall risk primarily attributed to the higher rates observed among non-insulin dependent DM patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with DM had higher adjusted odds of vascular and bleeding complications up to 30-days post-TAVR. Overall, there was no significant association between DM and early mortality following TAVR.

Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.

Publication typeJournal ArticleMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
Indexed MeSH termsAgedAged, 80 and overAortic Valve StenosisCardiovascular DiseasesDiabetes Mellitus, Type 1Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2FemaleHumansMalePostoperative ComplicationsRisk FactorsTime Factors

Summary

The impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on clinical outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) remains unclear.

Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy

Using the BRAVO-3 randomized trial population, this study investigated the impact of diabetes mellitus on short-term clinical outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The trial originally randomized patients to procedural anticoagulation with either bivalirudin or unfractionated heparin, but this secondary analysis focuses on predicting complications for diabetic patients. Its relevance to hirudotherapy is entirely indirect, as bivalirudin was one of the procedural anticoagulants used but the abstract does not describe its pharmacological origin or relationship to leech-derived compounds. The study does not evaluate leeches, leech extracts, or the specific efficacy of bivalirudin itself. Thus, it offers no direct evidence for the ASH domain.

Citation

Impact of diabetes mellitus on short term vascular complications after TAVR: Results from the BRAVO-3 randomized trial

Goel R et al. · International journal of cardiology, 2019

Added to ASH library: May 27, 2026 · Site last updated: June 18, 2026

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