The role of external iliac artery diameter indexed to BSA score in predicting vascular access complications after transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Introduction: Aortic stenosis is the most common primary valve disease and requires invasive treatment. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) from a transfemoral access is a routine intervention worldwide. Aim: To investigate the correlation between external iliac artery diameter (EIAD) indexed to body surface area (BSA) (EIAD-BSA) and access site complications in patients undergoing TAVI via transfemoral access (TF) (TF-TAVI). Material and methods: Patients underwent TF-TAVI in 2017-2019 at the Upper-Silesian Medical Center in Katowice. Based on the preoperative multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT), pre-specified measurements of the ilio-femoral vessels were performed. The results were indexed to BSA and body mass index (BMI). Complications after TAVI were defined by Valve Academic Research Consortium 3 (VARC-3). The primary outcome regarding the adverse events after TAVI was the composite of access site complications requiring surgical intervention or blood transfusion. Results: The registry included 193 unselected patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. Vascular and access-related complications including bleeding occurred in 17.1% of patients. Major TAVI access site complications (VARC-3) were reported in 5.7% of patients, while minor complications (VARC-3) occurred in 2.6%. EIAD-BSA demonstrated a positive correlation with the access site complications primary endpoint. Patients with greater EIAD-BSA had a numerically higher number of access site adverse events requiring surgical intervention or blood transfusion: n = 12 (5%) vs. n = 4 (4%), p = 0.011. Conclusions: External iliac artery diameter indexed to BSA could be an underestimated indicator of unfavorable outcomes after TF-TAVI, predicting periprocedural access site complications.