Frailty Assessment in Advanced Heart Failure.

Background: Several studies have recently demonstrated the value of frailty assessment in a general heart failure (HF) population; however, it is unknown whether these findings are also applicable in advanced HF. We investigated the utility of frailty assessment and its prognostic value in elderly patients with advanced HF.

Methods: Forty consecutive elderly subjects aged ≥65 years, with left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35%, New York Heart Association class III or IV, and a 6-minute walk test <300 m were enrolled from the HF clinic at Montefiore Medical Center between October 2012 and July 2013. Subjects were assessed for frailty with the Fried Frailty Index, consisting of 5 components: hand grip strength, 15-foot walk time, weight loss, physical activity, and exhaustion. All subjects were prospectively followed for death or hospitalization.

Results: At baseline, the mean age of the cohort was 74.9 ± 6.5 years, 58% female, left ventricular ejection fraction 25.6 ± 6.4%, 6-minute walk test 195.8 ± 74.3 m and length of follow-up 454 ± 186 days. Thirty-five percent were prefrail and 65% were frail. Frailty status was associated with the combined primary endpoint of mortality and all-cause hospitalization (hazard ratio [HR] 1.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15-3.25, P = .013). On individual analysis, frailty was associated with all-cause hospitalizations (HR 1.92, 95% CI 1.12-3.27, P = .017) and non-HF hospitalizations (HR 3.31, 95% CI 1.14- 9.6, P = .028), but was not associated with HF hospitalizations alone (HR 1.31, 95% CI 0.68-2.49, P = .380).

Conclusions: Frailty assessment in patients with advanced HF is feasible and provides prognostic value. These findings warrant validation in a larger cohort.