The impact of frailty assessment on outcomes in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) remains unclear. Our aim was to evaluate the individual effect of each frailty test and the utility of an additive frailty index score on short- and long-term survival following TAVR.

Retrospective analysis of consecutive TAVR patients for whom a complete set of frailty tests was obtained: algorithm defined grip strength and 5-m walking tests, body mass index <20 kg/m², Katz activities of daily living ≤4/6, serum albumin <3.5 g/dL. Frailty status was defined as having 3 or more positive frailty tests. Included were 498 patients with a mean age of 82±8 years.

Frailty status, observed in 266 (53%) patients, was associated with both 30-day and 1-year mortality (6% vs. 2%, P=.016; 20% vs. 9%, P<.001; within the respective frailty groups). As compared to 0–2 frailty criteria, a higher frailty index score was associated with increased risk of death at 1 year (OR 2.23; 95% CI 1.14–4.34; P=.019 and OR 3.30; 95% CI 1.36–8.00; P=.008 for 3 and 4–5 frailty criteria met, respectively). In Cox regression analysis, frailty status was correlated with 1-year mortality (HR=2.2; 95%CI 1.25–3.96; P=.007), and a higher frailty index was associated with increased mortality risk (HR=2.0; 95% CI 1.08–3.7; P=.027; and HR=3.07; 95% CI 1.4–6.7; P=.005; for any 3, and 4–5 frailty criteria, respectively).

Frailty status and a higher frailty index score were associated with increased 1-year mortality risk following TAVR.