Successful balloon aortic valvuloplasty as a bridge therapy to transcatheter aortic valve implantation during the proctoring period.

In Japan, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with Edwards-SAPIEN XT valve (Edwards Lifesciences Inc., Irvine, CA, USA) started in October 2013. All institutions should undergo a training period to perform TAVI independently. Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) as a bridge to TAVI during the training period should be performed with caution to avoid severe aortic regurgitation (AR) because bailout TAVI is not possible. We present a case in which BAV was successfully performed as a bridge to TAVI during the training period. The patient was an 85-year-old man with medically uncontrollable congestive heart failure due to severe aortic valve stenosis. The aortic valve area was 0.60 cm2 with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 20%. TAVI was considered a safe but high-risk strategy owing to the unstable hemodynamic condition. We chose BAV as a bridge therapy to TAVI. The aortic annulus diameter was 25.3 mm on computed tomography scans. We chose a 20-mm balloon catheter to avoid BAV-induced AR. Transfemoral TAVI was performed successfully 16 days after BAV using a 26-mm SAPIEN XT valve. The postoperative course was uneventful. The case demonstrated BAV as a bridge therapy to TAVI can be safely and effectively performed during the training period. <Learning objective: All institutions should undergo a training period to start transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) during the training period should be performed with caution. The present case suggests that BAV as a bridge therapy to TAVI can be safely performed during the training period. An accurate measurement of aortic annulus diameter and the use of an undersized balloon catheter might reduce the risk of BAV-related aortic regurgitation.>.