Objective
To explore the safety and feasibility of general anesthesia with tracheal intubation in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), and the key points in anesthetic management.
Methods
Twenty-five patients with aortic stenosis treated by TAVI in West China Hospital of Sichuan University between September 2012 and June 2013 were included in this study. General anesthesia with tracheal intubation was chosen. We recorded and analyzed the hemodynamics, blood gas, oxygen saturation data before and after anesthesia induction, before surgery, during rapid ventricular pacing, before and after aortic valve implantation. Besides, the incidence of perioperative complications and 30-day mortality were also recorded.
Results
All the 25 patients underwent the implantation surgery successfully. Two patients had the second implantation surgery due to moderate reflux. All the subjects in this study tolerated general anesthesia well without any anesthesia-related complications. There were 19 cases of newly developed or aggravated heart blocks, 7 of permanent pace maker, 2 of perioperative hemorrhage, 2 of cerebral vascular events, and 1 death case.
Conclusioins
General anesthesia with tracheal intubation can be utilized safely in patients undergoing TAVI. TAVI is a challenging technique in need of precise collaborations of multi-disciplines, in which anesthetists should play more as a leader in evaluation and decision-making during the surgery.
