Objective: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement and has become a popular treatment modality for inoperable or patients at high surgical risk with severe aortic stenosis. We aimed to evaluate our perioperative anaesthetic experiences with patients undergoing TAVI under sedation or general anaesthesia (GA).
Methods: One hundred and fifty-nine patients who underwent TAVI procedures were enrolled. Effects on TAVI outcomes of sedation and GA were compared.
Results: The duration of surgery and anaesthesia was significantly longer in patients who received GA. Insertion site complication and post-TAVI pacemaker implantation rates were similar between the groups, but the frequency of intraoperative complications (10% vs. 0.8%; P=0.015), intraoperative hypotension (35.3% vs. 70%; P < 0.001), and acute kidney injury (12.6% vs. 27.5%; P=0.028) was significantly higher in the GA group. Stroke occurred in seven patients, and all were in the sedation group.
Conclusion: GA is related to increased procedure time and acute kidney injury; therefore, local anaesthesia and sedation may be the first option in patients undergoing TAVI.
Keywords: Aortic stenosis; general anaesthesia; perioperative care; sedation; transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).