Anaesthetic and Procedural-Related Complications in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) and Its Outcome: A...

Background Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) presents significant challenges in its management, not only due to the technical complexity of the procedure but also because it is primarily performed on elderly patients who often have multiple comorbidities, making perioperative care and post-procedural recovery more intricate and demanding. The study's objective is to discover the challenges faced during the TAVI procedure and the frequency of complications that occurred during and after the procedure. Methods This is a single-centre retrospective study. Patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis, considered at high risk for conventional surgical aortic valve replacement, were included, their medical records were extracted, and data were collected. Endpoints at one-year follow-up comprised one-year mortality, cause of death, and valve dysfunction. Procedural-related complications were also noted as procedural-related outcomes. Results The mean age and body mass index (BMI) of the patients were 73.9 years and 28.3 kg/m², respectively. The main comorbidities were hypertension (n = 33, 84.6%), diabetes mellites (n = 21, 53.8%), ischemic heart disease (n = 6, 15.38%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (n = 5, 12.8%). The mean European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) was 5.75% with a median of 2.38%. General anaesthesia was received (n = 27), whereas the rest of the cases were performed under monitored anaesthesia care (MAC). None of the patients developed surgical site hematoma or massive blood loss. Post-operative mechanical ventilation was required in three patients (10.2%), and two (5.12%) of them expired in the intensive care unit. One patient had on-table mortality. Conclusion A low rate of anaesthesia and procedural-related complications was observed. The TAVI procedures done in our centre are promising and parallel to the finest global centres' outcomes in terms of procedural triumph and complication rate.