STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
The study cohort was divided into two groups according to the TLE approach (superior versus femoral bailout). All statistical tests were 2-sided, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Categorical variables are reported in frequencies and percentages. The significance of categorical variables between groups was assessed using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate We tested all variables for normal distribution by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and by visualizing the QQ-plot, plotting the distribution and variance of the residuals. Normally distributed continuous variables were reported as mean and standard deviation values, and differences between groups were assessed using the student’s t-test. Continuous variables not normally distributed were reported as median and interquartile range (IQR, 25th-75th percentiles) values, and significance was assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Differences between groups were tested using the Wilcoxon or Kruskal-Wallis tests. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed for prediction of need to switch over to a femoral approach. The model consisted of variables that were statistically significant in univariate tests and of clinically relevant indices. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS statistical software 25.0.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA), and the R foundation statistical computing and graphics software (version 4.0.0).