Transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Expert Consensus of the Association of Cardiovascular Interventions of the Polish Cardiac Society and the Polish Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons, approved by the Board of the Polish Cardiac Society

Patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis have a poor prognosis with medical management alone, and surgical aortic valve replacement can improve symptoms and survival. In recent years, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been demonstrated to improve survival in inoperable patients and to be an alternative treatment in patients in whom the risk of surgical morbidity or mortality is high or intermediate. A representative expert committee, summoned by the Association of Cardiovascular Interventions of the Polish Cardiac Society (ACVI) and the Polish Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons, devel-oped this Consensus Statement in transcatheter aortic valve implantation. It endorses the important role of a multi-disciplinary "TAVI team" in selecting patients for TAVI and defines operator and institutional requirements fundamental to the establish-ment of a successful TAVI programme. The article summarises current evidence and provides specific recommendations on organisation and conduct of transcatheter treatment of patients with aortic valve disease in Poland.