title: [Transcatheter aortic valve implantation: experience in 17 patients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is taking a leading role in the management of patients with severe aortic stenosis. Valve replacement surgery prolongs survival and is the technique of choice considering its historical background and long experience worldwide. Recently however, TAVI has positioned itself as the only standard therapy for symptomatic patients who are not candidates for surgery.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report the experience with this new technique comparing our results with those reported in the literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between May 2010 and December 2011,17 patients aged 81 ± 7.3 years (58.8% men with an Euro SCORE 29 ± 22.4%) underwent a TAVI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median transvalvular gradient was 54 ± 15.7 mmHg. All patients received a CoreValve™. Technical success was 100%, with a post implant gradient of 6.29 ± 3.3 mmHg. Residual aortic regurgitation was observed in 94%, none greater than grade II. There were no complications at the vascular access site. One patient developed cardiac tamponade during the procedure. Permanent pacemaker implantation was required in 35.2%. Hospital mortality rate was 5.8%, a figure that remained unchanged at 30 days of follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In high-risk patients with aortic stenosis, TAVI has a high success rate and a low rate of complications. Besides an appropriate patient selection, a trained multidisciplinary team and technical conditions to solve possible complications of the procedure are required.
authors.affiliation: Clínica Las Condes, Chile. ccaorsi@clc.cl
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caorsi
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baeza
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morís
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oyonarte
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Venegas
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yovanovich
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rufs
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Espíndola
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality / Q000592:standards; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome