title: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation using direct aortic access: first procedures in Poland.
abstract: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an alternative option for the treatment of severe aortic stenosis in patients  carrying an elevated operative risk of conventional surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR). Recently, data from randomised  clinical trials confirmed superiority of TAVI when compared with the conservative treatment in inoperable patients, and its  non-inferiority when compared with AVR in a high-risk population.  Transfemoral vascular access remains the preferred route for delivering the bioprosthesis. However, in a significant proportion  of patients, the presence of severe iliac-femoral arteriopathy or small vessel diameter render the transfemoral approach  unusable. In this article, we report the first Polish experience of two successful TAVI procedures with bioprostheses (both  balloon- and self-expandable) delivered using direct aortic access.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, The Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Radosław
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wilimski
authors.forename: Zenon
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huczek
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Szczawiński
authors.forename: Arkadiusz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pietrasik
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Michalak
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scisło
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marchel
authors.forename: Leopold
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bakoń
authors.forename: Krzysztof J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Filipiak
authors.forename: Romuald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cichoń
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Opolski
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kochman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000601:surgery*; D001705:Bioprosthesis; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland; D016896:Treatment Outcome