Background: Transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation is generally perceived to be associated with increased morbidity compared with transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation. We aimed to compare access-related complications and survival using propensity score matching.
Methods and results: Prospective, single-center registry of 1000 consecutive patients undergoing transapical and transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation between May 2008 and April 2012. Transapical was performed in 413 patients and transfemoral in 587 patients. Patients with transapical access were less often women and less had pulmonary hypertension. Further they had more peripheral arterial disease, coronary artery disease, carotid stenosis, and recurrent surgery and a higher logistic EuroSCORE I (24.3% ± 16.2% for transapical versus 22.2% ± 16.2% for transfemoral; P < 0.01). After building 2 propensity score-matched groups of 354 patients each with either access route (total 708 patients), baseline characteristics were comparable. In this analysis, there was no significant difference in 30 day mortality (5.9% transapical versus 8.5% transfemoral; P = 0.19), the rate of myocardial infarction (2.5% transapical versus 2.0% transfemoral; P = 0.61), stroke (2.0% transapical versus 2.3% transfemoral; P = 0.79), bleeding complications, pacemaker implantation rates, or moderate aortic insufficiency. Stage 1 renal complications were more common in transapical patients (odds ratio, 2.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.93-4.09), whereas major vascular complications were less common (odds ratio, 0.14; 95% confidence interval, 0.06-0.29). Survival probability over the long term was not statistically different (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-1.10; log-rank Test, P = 0.27).
Conclusions: The data demonstrate that in an experienced multidisciplinary heart team, either access route can be performed with comparable results.
Keywords: aortic valve replacement; mortality; transcatheter.
© 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.