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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Surgical Technique for the Implantation of Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts and Subsequent In Vivo Monitoring
Published on: April 3, 2015
Comparative analysis of percutaneous vs. surgical access in transfemoral TAVR: a propensity-matched cohort study
Georgios E Papadopoulos1, Ilias Ninios1, Eleftherios Leptopoulos1
12nd Cardiology Department, Interbalkan Medical Center, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Objective:
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a proven treatment for severe aortic stenosis. Transfemoral access is the most prevalent method, achieved either surgically or percutaneously. This study compared in-hospital outcomes and length of stay between surgical cut-down and fully percutaneous approaches.
Methods:
This retrospective, propensity-matched study analyzed medical records of all patients who underwent transfemoral TAVR at our center from January 2019 to December 2023. Outcomes were assessed based on Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 (VARC-2) consensus criteria.
Results:
A total of 251 TAVR patients (77 propensity score-matched pairs) were included (55% female) with a median (IQR) age of 80 (11) years. Surgical cut-down showed fewer vascular complications, bleeding, and transfusions. No death was reported in this group. Fewer mean hospitalization days were observed in the total cohort over the years (p < 0.001). This reduction was more pronounced after 2021 when the surgical approach was adopted. Mean hospitalization days were 6.40 ± 6.46 for percutaneous and 4.34 ± 1.61 for surgical groups (p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Surgical cut-down for TAVR femoral access yields superior outcomes and shorter hospital stays compared to fully percutaneous methods.
