Utility of Suprasternal Transinnominate Artery for Alternate Access in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

OBJECTIVE: Despite advancements in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) technology, alternate access strategies are still required when transfemoral access is unsuitable. In these often anatomically complex group of patients, we sought to evaluate the safety and feasibility of suprasternal transinnominate (TI) artery access for TAVR. METHODS: At our institution, 652 patients underwent TAVR from November 2011 through February 2020. Of these, 23 patients underwent TI TAVR via a 5-cm suprasternal incision without special instrumentation. Outcomes of interest were technical considerations, postoperative complications, and perioperative recovery in relation to established access strategies. RESULTS: The mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk score was 8.6 ± 4.2 and the average age was 75 ± 8. All patients underwent TI TAVR using a self-expanding (12), or balloon-expandable (11) transcatheter heart valve. Average postoperative stay was 2 ± 0.7 days (range 2 to 4) with most 20/23 (87%) being discharged to home. There was no 30-day mortality or readmission. There was 1 access-site complication and 1 cerebrovascular accident within 30 days, both intraoperative, with excellent recovery. All patients had either trivial (19) or mild (4) aortic regurgitation on 30-day echocardiography. CONCLUSIONS: TAVR via suprasternal TI access is feasible, safe, provides satisfactory perioperative recovery and adds to the options when patients require alternate access. Further data would be optimal to validate this single-center experience.