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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective multicenter study was to assess how the development of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) influenced the characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing aortic valve procedures. METHODS: We reviewed 1395 patients who underwent isolated surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or TAVI in three centres with a high-volume TAVI programme. Patients were divided into two groups: ‘Pre-TAVI’ (395 patients, 28.3%) and ‘Post-TAVI’ (1000 patients, 71.7%) operated on before and after the introduction of TAVI into clinical practice. We evaluated age, logistic EuroSCORE I (LES) and hospital mortality according to time periods and the procedure performed, whether SAVR or TAVI. RESULTS: ‘Post-TAVI’ patients were older (78.2 ± 7.8 vs 76.8 ± 6.7 years; P= 0.002) and with a significantly higher LES (17.8 ± 14.7 vs 9.1 ± 9.2%; P< 0.001) than ‘Pre-TAVI’ patients. Hospital mortality was not significantly different between groups (‘Pre-TAVI’ vs ‘Post-TAVI’: 2 vs 3.4%; P= 0.17). Of the 1000 ‘Post-TAVI’ patients, 605 (60.5%) underwent TAVI and 395 (39.5%), SAVR. Patients undergoing TAVI were older (79.9 ± 7.1 vs 75.5 ± 9.2 years; P< 0.001) and with a higher LES (22.9 ± 15.3 vs 9.7 ± 9.3%; P< 0.001) than ‘Post-TAVI’ SAVR patients, but their hospital mortality was similar (3.9 vs 2.5%; P= 0.22). LES was similar between ‘Pre-TAVI’ and ‘Post-TAVI’ SAVR patients (9.1 ± 9.2 vs 9.7 ± 9.3%; P= 0.26). Furthermore, we did not find significant differences in the overall hospital mortality between SAVR and TAVI patients: 2.3 vs 3.9%, P= 0.08. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis shows that the development of TAVI has caused an increase in the preoperative risk profile of patients scheduled for aortic valve procedures (SAVR or TAVI) without increasing hospital mortality.