Most patients undergoing minimalist transcatheter aortic valve implantation for severe aortic stenosis can be safely discharged a day after the procedure, Tasmanian doctors have found.

Their single-centre study — developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic — suggests a 30-day mortality rate of less than 1% among those who successfully achieved next day discharge.

The Royal Hobart Hospital-led team say their transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)-specific protocol provides significant advantages for hospital efficiency without compromising patient safety.

Interventional and structural cardiologist Dr Heath Adams and colleagues reviewed data from 135 consecutive patients (mean age 83) undergoing minimalist transfemoral TAVI for severe aortic stenosis (AS) who were assessed by the local protocol for next day discharge.