Anesthetic management and perioperative complications in transcatheter aortic valve implantation: the Turkish experience

To describe the anesthetic management and early results of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in a single center in Turkey. We evaluated 79 (54 females, 25 males; mean age: 76 ± 9 years) consecutive symptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI under general anesthesia between July 2011 and September 2012. We preferred a transfemoral approach as the first option. The duration of anesthesia was 149 ± 49 min. Thirty-eight percent of the patients were extubated in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Three patients required a permanent pacemaker, while 8 patients required inotropic support in the postoperative period. Mortality rate was 9% within 30 days. Fifteen patients had vascular complications, of which 53% were treated surgically. Today, as a result of developments in technology, TAVI can be considered as a beneficial alternative treatment option for inoperable aortic stenosis patients. Thus, anesthesiologists will be confronted with a number of TAVI cases, and so they should be prepared to face issues related to the patient's safety both during the administration of anesthesia and in the postoperative period in the near future.