Life-threatening iliac artery rupture during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI): diagnosis and management

A 76-year-old man had severe aortic stenosis and underwent elective transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Aortic annulus sizing by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was 25 mm. Multislice CT showed adequate iliofemoral arteries calibre with no severe calcifications. The procedure took place by right transfemoral access using a percutaneous closure device (ProStar XL Percutaneous Vascular Surgical System; Abbott Vascular, Redwood City, California, USA). A 26 mm balloon-expandable Edwards–Sapien XT valve (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California, USA) was successfully advanced, however, with some resistance at …