Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with conscious sedation is more efficient than TAVR with general anaesthesia and has similar safety and quality-of-life outcomes, an observational study suggests.

US researchers examined the effects of the two approaches on procedural efficiency, long-term safety and quality-of-life in 477 patients with severe aortic stenosis (mean age 82).

Patients were assigned to either conscious sedation (278) or general anaesthetic (199) at the discretion of the operating team.

As reported in The American Journal of Cardiology, patients having conscious sedation were less likely to have NYHA Class III symptoms or above, and also less likely to be undergoing valve-in-valve TAVR, or to receive self-expanding valves.