ESSENTIAL FRAILTY TOOLSET AS A PREDICTOR OF PROLONGED LENGTH OF STAY AND DISCHARGE DESTINATION AFTER TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE IMPLANTATION

Abstract Introduction Frailty is associated with poor outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Rockwood is the widely used score for this population. In a recent trial, a more objective score, the Essential Frailty Toolset (EFT) outperformed Rockwood’s in predicting mortality and disability 1-year post-TAVI. Whether it predicts in-hospital length of stay (LOS) and discharge destination post-TAVI remains unclear. Method A cohort of patients undergoing TAVI for aortic stenosis was recruited, demographic characteristics collected, and frailty assessed with EFT and Rockwood scores. Primary outcomes were LOS post-TAVI, categorised as ‘not prolonged’ (≤2 days) or ‘prolonged’ (>2 days) and discharge destination, characterised as ‘home’ or ‘non-home’. Results 86 patients were recruited, with median age 82 years (IQR 78–86). 54% were male. EFT identified 35% and Rockwood 11% as frail. 19% were cognitively impaired. 5 chair rises were completed by 70%, with 30% managing under 15 seconds. Median haemoglobin was 121 g/L (IQR 109.5–136). Median albumin was 36 g/L (IQR 33–39). 84% of procedures were transfemoral. 20% had moderate–severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Median LOS post-TAVI was 2 days (IQR 2–5). 94% were discharged home, 6% to referring local hospital or rehabilitation centre. 46% were NYHA class III-IV. A model for prolonged LOS including comorbidities, showed frailty determined by EFT (OR 4.80, CI 95% 1.52–15.2, p = 0.008) but not Rockwood (OR 5.00, CI 95% 0.865–29.0, p = 0.072) was the only significant independent predictor for prolonged LOS. A model adjusting for comorbidities also showed EFT to be an independent predictor for non-home discharge destination of borderline significance (OR 2.57 CI 95% 0.994–6.66, p = 0.051) but Rockwood was not (OR 1.38 CI95% 0.485–3.91, p = 0.548). Conclusion In a real-world elderly population, EFT score was a stronger, more independent predictor of prolonged LOS and non-home discharge post-TAVI, than Rockwood’s. EFT would be an effective pre-operative assessment tool for LOS and discharge destination for TAVI.