Contemporary suprasternal transcatheter aortic valve replacement: A multicenter experience using a simple, reliable...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Interventional Cardiology
• Medical Device Technology

Background:

• Transfemoral access is not suitable for all patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
• Suprasternal (SS) TAVR presents a novel alternative access strategy for TAVR procedures.
• This approach has become a preferred method for specific patient cohorts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical outcomes of suprasternal (SS) transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
• To assess the safety and efficacy of SS-TAVR as an alternative access route.
• To describe the early-term results and complications associated with SS-TAVR.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of patients who underwent SS-TAVR.
• Data collected from New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center, and Princeton Baptist Medical Center.
• Study included 84 patients between 2015 and July 2018.

Main Results:

• 100% technical success rate achieved in all cases.
• 98.8% 30-day survival rate with minimal complications, including zero strokes.
• Satisfactory hemodynamic results with low paravalvular leak and short intensive care unit/hospital lengths of stay.

Conclusions:

• Suprasternal access for TAVR is a crucial technique for valve teams.
• SS-TAVR is safe, reliable, and reproducible using standard equipment.
• The technique is compatible with all commercially available valve systems, yielding excellent early results.