Qintar M, Li Z, Vemulapalli S, et al. - Using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry, researchers investigated how smoking can influence clinical and health status outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Participants included 72,165 patients undergoing TAVR at 457 US sites. These were grouped as current/recent smokers vs prior/nonsmokers, at the time of TAVR. Evaluation of 1-year mortality, rehospitalization, mean gradient, health status (measured by the 12-item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire–Overall Summary Score) and in-hospital outcomes, was done. In US patients with TAVR, 5.6% was estimated to be the current/recent smoking rate and smokers presented at a younger age for TAVR. Lower in-hospital but similar long-term survival post-TAVR was reported in correlation with smoking. Also, smoking was found to be related to slightly worse long-term health status, and marginally higher mean aortic valve gradients.