Watchful Waiting in Aortic Stenosis: The Problem of Acute Decompensation

Approximately 1 in 5 patients admitted to the hospital with aortic stenosis have life-threatening complications due to their disorder. More than half of such patients are actively monitored for aortic stenosis before admission, exposing shortcomings of the watchful waiting management strategy. Measures to identify symptomatic patients earlier and shorten the time between symptom onset and surgery have the potential to substantially reduce morbidity and mortality.