• Giuseppe Bruschi, Federico De Marco, Luca Botta, Alberto Barosi, Paola Colombo, Silvia Mauri, Aldo Cannata, Nuccia Morici, Tiziano Colombo, Pasquale Fratto, Sandra Nonini, Francesco Soriano, Michele Mondino, Cristina Giannattasio, and Silvio Klugmann.
• "A. De Gasperis" Cardiology & Cardiac Surgery Department, Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital, Italy. Electronic address: giuseppe.bruschi@fastwebnet.it.
• Int. J. Cardiol. 2015 Feb 15; 181: 437-42.

ObjectiveTranscatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been designed to treat elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis at high risk for surgery. These patients are also often affected by severe iliac-femoral arteriopathy, rendering the trans-femoral approach unusable. We report our experience with the direct-aortic approach to treat these patients.MethodsFrom May 2008 to November 2013 two hundred and thirty-two patients (131 female, 56%) with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis and no reasonable surgical option due to excessive risk were evaluated for TAVI at our department. Of these patients, 202 were deemed eligible for TAVI. Of this group, 50 underwent CoreValve implantation by the direct aortic approach through a right anterior mini-thoracotmy (28 female, 56%), mean age 81.2±6.9. A combined team of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons with expertise in hybrid procedures, and anesthetists performed all the procedures.ResultsTwenty-eight (56%) patients were female and 11 (22%) were redo at TAVI. We used a 23-mm CoreValve Evolute in 3 patients (6%), and the most used valve size was the 29mm in 46% of patients. Mean hemodynamic trans-aortic gradient was less than 5mmHg. The paravalvular regurgitation was ≤ grade 1 in 46 patients as assessed by peri-procedural transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Seven patients (7/43, 16%) required a permanent pacemaker implantation; 30-day mortality was 6% (3 patients). Seven patients (14.8%) died during follow-up. Actuarial survival at 2years is 84.7±5.3%.ConclusionsTranscatheter aortic valve implantation with the direct aortic approach is safe and feasible, offering a new attractive option to treat selected high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis and peripheral vasculopathy, including those requiring a re-do procedure.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

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