A Practical Approach to Managing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement With Sedation

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is increasingly performed as a minimally invasive treatment option for aortic valve disease. The typical anesthetic management for this procedure was traditionally similar to surgical aortic valve replacement and involved general anesthesia and transesophageal echocardiography. In this review, we discuss the technological advances in transcatheter valve systems that have improved outcomes and allow for use of sedation instead of general anesthesia. We describe an anesthetic protocol that avoids general anesthesia and utilizes transthoracic echocardiography for procedural guidance.