Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Combined (n = 180) | Transapical (n = 97) | Transfemoral (n = 83) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 82.1 ± 5.4 | 81.7 ± 5.8 | 82.6 ± 4.9 | 0.3 |
| Sex (male) | 54 (30%) | 27 (28%) | 27 (33%) | 0.5 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26.4 ± 4.8 | 26.6 ± 5.3 | 26.2 ± 5.3 | 0.65 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| EF <35% | 26 (14%) | 12 (12%) | 14 (17%) | 0.4 |
| Coronary artery disease | 120 (67%) | 64 (66%) | 56 (68%) | 0.8 |
| Prior PCI | 50 (28%) | 26 (27%) | 24 (29%) | 0.8 |
| Prior CABG | 27 (15%) | 18 (19%) | 9 (11%) | 0.09 |
| Prior other thoracotomy | 6 (3%) | 2 (2%) | 4 (5%) | 0.3 |
| Porcelain aorta | 4 (2%) | 3 (3%) | 1 (1%) | 0.4 |
| Previous aortic bioprosthesis | 4 (2%) | 2 (2%) | 2 (2%) | 0.9 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 56 (31%) | 37 (38%) | 19 (23%) | 0.03* |
| Prior cerebral ischaemic event | 21 (12%) | 12 (12%) | 9 (11%) | 0.8 |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 57 (32%) | 39 (40%) | 18 (28%) | 0.008* |
| Diabetes | 64 (36%) | 32 (33%) | 32 (39%) | 0.4 |
| GFR <60 mL/min | 110 (61%) | 61 (63%) | 49 (59%) | 0.6 |
| GFR <30 mL/min | 30 (17%) | 20 (21%) | 10 (12%) | 0.12 |
| Calculated surgical risk (Logistic EuroScore) (%) | 26.8 ± 14.0 | 27.9 ± 14.9 | 25.6 ± 13.0 | 0.3 |
| Clinical characteristics | ||||
| NYHA class III | 131 (73%) | 71 (73%) | 60 (72%) | 0.9 |
| NYHA class IV | 38 (21%) | 21 (22%) | 17 (21%) | 0.8 |
| Oedema | 85 (47%) | 46 (47%) | 39 (47%) | 1.0 |
| Effusions | 35 (19%) | 24 (25%) | 11 (13%) | 0.05 |
| Moist rales | 64 (36%) | 37 (38%) | 27 (33%) | 0.4 |
| Syncope | 46 (26%) | 22 (23%) | 24 (29%) | 0.4 |
Categorical variables are presented as absolute number and percentage (in parentheses), continuous variables as mean ± SD. For comparison between TA and TF patients, the unpaired t test was used for continuous and the Chi-square test for categorical variables