Trends in Transfemoral Aortic Valve Implantation Related Thrombocytopenia

Background: TAVI related thrombocytopenia (TAVI-rTP) is still very common. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence, characteristics and impact of reduced platelet counts (RPC) after TAVI between an earlier and contemporary period. Methods: the patients enrolled were those experiencing severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI between January 2010 and December 2019. The exclusion criteria were no available blood tests and periprocedural death. Results: 334 patients (mean age 81.9 ± 6.7 years) were enrolled. For the earlier period, the mean RPC was 33 ± 15%, and in the contemporary period (2016–2019) it was 26 ± 14%. In the early group, we found that 62% of the patients had decreased platelet counts of more or equal to 30% in comparison to 33% in the contemporary period. The time of the procedure and the amount of the contrast that had been used in the later period were associated with significant RPCs (p value = 0.002 and 0.028, respectively). An RPC of 30% or more was associated with the increased risks of life-threatening bleeding, vascular complications and death within 30 days. Conclusion: contemporary TAVI-rTP continued to be a common phenomenon in our cohort. However, severe thrombocytopenia was significantly less frequent. An RPC of 30% or more is associated with a poor 30-day outcome.