Feasibility, safety and clinical impact of a less-invasive totally-endovascular (LITE) technique for transfemoral TAVI: A 1000 patients single-centre experience

Background: Trans-femoral (TF) represents the main access for TAVI. Although there are various technical strategies to conduct TF-TAVI (pacing modality, secondary arterial access, primary access puncture etc.), the optimal technique is not recognized. Aims: In the present study, we assessed the impact of systematic use of LITE-TAVI in terms of feasibility, safety, and main access complication management using VARC-3 outcomes definitions. Methods: At our institution, a less-invasive totally-endovascular (LITE) technique for TF-TAVI has been developed since 2017. Key aspects are: precise TAVI access puncture using angiographic-guidewire ultrasound guidance; radial/ulnar approach as the default “secondary access”; non-invasive pacing (by guidewire stimulation or definitive pacemaker external programmer). Results: 1022 consecutive TF-TAVI patients (55 % women, mean age: 80 years, mean EuroSCORE II 6.1 %, mean STS-PROM 4.3 %, mean STS/ACC TVT TAVR mortality score 3.4 %) were approached using the LITE technique. Technical success was achieved in 993 (97.2 %) patients. Access-related major vascular complications occurred in 12 (1.2 %) and VARC-3 ≥ type 2 bleedings in 12 (1.2 %) patients. At 30-day, all-cause death occurred in 17 (1.7 %) patients. This figure resulted significantly lower than expected on the bases of the mortality predicted not only by EuroSCORE II (6.1 %, p < 0.001) and STS-PROM score (4.3 %; p < 0.001), but also by STS/ACC TVT TAVR mortality score (3.4 %; p = 0.01). Conclusions: Systematic use of LITE-TAVI is feasible and is associated with an extremely low rate of access-related bleeding and vascular complications which may drive to outcome improvement.