Valvular & structural heart diseaseResearch article
Carbon emission analysis of aortic valve replacement: the environmental footprint of transcatheter vs. surgical procedures
- Life cycle assessment
Authors' conclusion
The carbon footprint of SAVR is about twice as high as those from OR-TAVR or CATH-TAVR.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR) or Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), March to September 2023
- Participants
- 10 / 10 / 10
- Comparison
- SAVR vs TAVR
- OR-TAVRn = 10
- CATH-TAVRn = 10
- SAVRn = 10reference
- Outcome
- Total life cycle carbon footprint (kg CO2e)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Total life cycle carbon footprint
OR-TAVR
280-340
kg CO2e
CATH-TAVR
290-360
kg CO2e
SAVR
620-750
kg CO2e
- SAVR vs either TAVR
- P < 0.05
Further findings
Post-operative ICU and floor care footprint OR-TAVR ∼170 kg CO2e · CATH-TAVR 170 kg CO2e · SAVR 405 kg CO2e
share of total
Approximate intraoperative footprint
| Outcome | OR-TAVR | CATH-TAVR | SAVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICU length of stay share of footprint | ∼27% | 25% | 43% |
- Post-operative ICU and floor care footprint — SAVR vs either TAVR
- P < .05
Original publication
Carbon emission analysis of aortic valve replacement: the environmental footprint of transcatheter vs. surgical procedures. Eur Heart J. Published 2 July 2025. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf379
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it