Parallel suture technique with ProGlide: A novel method for management of vascular access during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate vascular complications using the "parallel suture technique" in patients receiving an Edwards SAPIEN XT (SXT) or SAPIEN S3 (S3) transcatheter heart valve (THV). Methods and results: Two hundred consecutive patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis treated with TF-TAVI were included in this study where the "parallel suture technique" was applied for vascular access-site closure. This was achieved by placing the sutures medial and lateral to the puncture site. Vascular access-site complications were defined as vascular dissection, perforation, obstruction, arteriovenous fistula or pseudoaneurysms, and classified according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 (VARC-2) criteria. Duplex sonography was performed routinely in every patient. In patients receiving the S3, the sheath to femoral and iliac artery ratio was significantly lower than in the SXT group, reflecting reduction in sheath sizes for S3. More endovascular interventions were required after SXT implantation as compared to S3 (4% versus 1%, p=0.02). This was due to vascular obstruction or device failure. Moreover, increased life-threatening, major bleedings, and pseudoaneurysms were found in the SXT group (6% versus 1%, p=0.06, 13% versus 3%, p=0.009, 7% versus 1%, p=0.03, respectively). Conclusions: The "parallel suture technique" using the ProGlide is associated with a low number of vascular complications, even when using larger sheath sizes.