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Why is it important?

Given that at its inception, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was recommended as an alternative solution for patients who were deemed un-operable to have their valve replaced, being frail in a large sense is among the reasons that these patients were not eligible for surgery. Using gait speed as an indicator of frailty allows us to investigate and study such a measure as an additional risk factor for patients outcomes after TAVR. Our study highlights the fact that gait speed should be incorporated systematically into a multi-step and multi-faceted pathway, inclusive of comprehensive geriatric consultation and comorbidity review. Moreover, it helps improve decision-making with regard to TAVR and allow an identification of patients who should be elligible for prehabilitation, which is a form of training aimed at preventing injury and strengthening reserves.

Perspectives

This study provides a large-scale assessment of the impact of frailty, view through the lens of gait speed, on the patients' outcomes following an aortic transcatheter valve replacement.

Dr. Roland A. Matsouaka
Duke University

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This page is a summary of: Gait Speed Predicts 30-Day Mortality After Transcatheter Aortic Valve ReplacementCLINICAL PERSPECTIVE, Circulation, February 2016, Wolters Kluwer Health,
DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.115.020279.
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