The Effect of Anesthesia Type Applied in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Different results have been obtained in studies on the effect of anesthesia type applied during transcatheter aortic valve implantation on in-hospital outcomes. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of the type of anesthesia with the lenght of stay in the intensive care unit and the need for inotropes in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

A total of 140 patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation between January 2016 and January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into 2 groups as deep sedation and general anesthesia according to the type of anesthesia.

The mean age of all patients was 78.5 ± 8.6 years, and 69 of the patients (49.3%) were female. Length of stay in intensive care unit, midazolam dosage, use of inotropic agents, and procedural hypotension were significantly lower in the deep sedation group than in the general anesthesia group [(1[1-2] vs. 1[1-2.5] days, P = 0.03), (2.1 ± 0.4 mg/kg vs. 2.3 ± 05, P = 0.02), (39 (37.9%) vs. 22 (59.5%), P = 0.02), (41 (39.8%) vs. 25 (67.6%), P = 0.004)]. General anesthesia was associated with increased use of inotropic agents during transcatheter aortic valve implantation compared to deep sedation (odds ratio = 2.93 95% CI = 1.18-7.30, P = 0.02).

The use of inotropes is less in transcatheter aortic valve implantation procedures performed under deep sedation and length of stay in intensive care unit is shorter.