The transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) treatment pathway is complex, leading to procedure-related delays. Dedicated TAVI coordinators can improve pathway efficiency. COORDINATE was a pilot observational prospective registry at three German centers that enrolled consecutive elective patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVI to investigate the impact a TAVI coordinator program. Pathway parameters and clinical outcomes were assessed before (control group) and after TAVI coordinator program implementation (intervention phase). The number of repeated diagnostics remained unchanged after implementation. Patients with separate hospitalizations for screening and TAVI had long delays, which increased after implementation (65 days pre- vs. 103 days post-implementation); hospitalizations combining these were more efficient. The mean time between TAVI and hospital discharge remained constant. Nurse (p = 0.001) and medical technician (p = 0.008) working hours decreased. Patient satisfaction increased, and more consistent/intensive contact between patients and staff was reported. TAVI coordinators provided more post-TAVI support, including discharge management. No adverse effects on post-procedure or 30-day outcomes were seen. This pilot suggests that TAVI coordinator programs may improve aspects of the TAVI pathway, including post-TAVI care and patient satisfaction, without compromising safety. These findings will be further investigated in the BENCHMARK registry.

Cardiology Department Heart and Vessel Center Bad Bevensen 29549 Bad Bevensen Germany

Cardiology Department University Heart Centre University Hospital Zurich 8091 Zurich Switzerland

Cardiothoracic Surgery Department Heart and Vessel Center Bad Bevensen 29549 Bad Bevensen Germany

Cmillers 97082 Würzburg Germany

Division of Cardiology Pulmonology and Vascular Medicine Medical Faculty Heinrich Heine University 40225 Düsseldorf Germany

Edwards Lifesciences 1260 Nyon Switzerland

Edwards Lifesciences 18600 Prague Czech Republic

German Centre for Cardiovascular Research Partner Site Hamburg Kiel Lübeck 24105 Kiel Germany

German Heart Center Munich 80636 Munich Germany

Institute for Pharmacology and Preventive Medicine 49661 Cloppenburg Germany

Internal Medicine 3 Department UKSH University Clinical Center Schleswig Holstein 24105 Kiel Germany

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The implementation of a streamlined TAVI patient pathway across five European countries: BENCHMARK registry

A streamlined pathway for transcatheter aortic valve implantation: the BENCHMARK study