Comparison of Clinical and Economic Outcomes of an Optimized Lean Versus a Standard Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Program (from SOLAR [Safe Outcomes Lean And Resourceful] Study)

The increasing prevalence of aortic stenosis (AS) and the increasing number of patients indicated for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) can lead to increased hospital constraints. This study aimed to compare, from the hospital perspective, the costs, resource use, and 30-day clinical outcomes of patients who underwent TAVI under an optimized or standard clinical pathway. A single-center, retrospective study was conducted among patients with native AS who underwent TAVI between January 2018 and March 2021. Patients who underwent optimized lean TAVI were propensity-score matched 1:1 to those who underwent standard TAVI. In-hospital costs and 30-day clinical outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. A total of 182 patients (91 in each group) were included in the final analysis. Baseline covariates were well balanced after matching. Patients who underwent lean TAVI had shorter length of stay (median [interquartile range] 3.0 days [2.0 to 6.0] vs 6.0 days [5.0 to 9.0], p <0.001). Patients in the lean TAVI group incurred lower total costs than did those in the standard TAVI group (mean ± SD: $41,346 ± 10,062 vs $50,471 ± 15,115, p = 0.002). There was no between-group difference in 30-day all-cause mortality (2.2% vs 1.1%, p = 0.573) and pacemaker implantations (5.5% vs 6.6%, p = 0.788). Rates of procedural complications were comparable between groups. In conclusion, lean TAVI leads to hospital efficiencies without compromising patient safety. Efforts to streamline the TAVI procedure should be encouraged to improve access to TAVI for patients with AS, amid resource constraints.