AIMS: Albumin is a marker of frailty. Scarce data are available on correlations between frailty related parameters and outcomes in patients undergoing TAVI. This study sought to evaluate the predictive value of albumin on mortality after TAVI.
METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 150 patients (mean age 82±6) undergoing TAVI were included in the study. Patients with pre-procedural albumin > 4 g/dl (n=71) were compared to those ≤ 4 g/dl (n=79), the cut-off value of 4 g/dl being based on the mean value of serum albumin in patients included in the study.
During a mean follow-up of 26 ±12 months the survival rate was 72%. Patients in both groups had similar baseline characteristics. The 2 years mortality was higher in the low albumin group compared with the normal albumin group (35% vs 19%, P=0.016). Multivariate analysis indicated that low pre-procedural albumin was independently associated with a 2-fold increase in 2-year all-cause mortality (p = 0.029, HR: 2.07; 95%CI: 1.077-3.978). The main difference in mortality between low and normal baseline albumin groups occurred at 1-year (23% vs. 6%; P=0.002). Low post-procedural serum albumin remained a strong parameter correlated with long term mortality (HR=2.213; 95%CI: 1.138-4.302; P=0.019).
CONCLUSION: Low baseline albumin can be used as a simple tool to predict survival benefit after TAVI, proving to be an important parameter associated with mortality within the first year after the procedure.
