Relation of Frailty to Cost for Patients undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Abstract Frailty is associated with significant morbidity and mortality for patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). In addition to clinical outcomes, cost is an important factor to inform clinical decision-making around TAVI. However, the association of frailty with cost is unknown. This study tested whether frailty was associated with cost for adult patients who underwent TAVI at a moderate-volume single center between December 2012 and April 2018 (n=431). Frailty was determined from pre-TAVI clinical visits as a composite of 2 markers: 5-meter walk time (abnormal: >6 sec or unable to perform) and serum albumin (abnormal: