Early outcomes and resource utilization across contemporary transcatheter and surgical valve interventions: a single-center observational study.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate early clinical outcomes and hospital resource utilization across three treatment strategies for valvular heart disease: median sternotomy, right mini-thoracotomy and transcatheter interventions.

RESULTS

This retrospective single-center study included 109 consecutive adult patients undergoing valve interventions between January and October 2025 (sternotomy n = 20; mini-thoracotomy n = 25; transcatheter n = 64, including transcatheter aortic valve implantation and mitral/tricuspid edge-to-edge repair). Patients undergoing transcatheter procedures were older and had higher operative risk. Transcatheter interventions were associated with shorter ICU stay (median 1 [1–2] vs. 3 [2–4] days; p < 0.001) and hospital stay (5 [4–7] vs. 7 [5–10] and 9 [7–12] days; p < 0.001). In-hospital mortality registered one event, with no significant differences between groups (p = 1.00). Rates of stroke, acute kidney injury and permanent pacemaker implantation were low and similar between groups. Reoperation for bleeding occurred only in surgical patients, more frequently after sternotomy (10.0%) than mini-thoracotomy (4.0%) and was absent after transcatheter procedures (0.0%; p = 0.04). Similarly, the composite endpoint of in-hospital events did not differ significantly between groups (20.0% vs. 8.0% vs. 9.4%; p = 0.34).