Gait Speed and Operative Mortality in Older Adults Following Cardiac Surgery

Prediction of operative risk is a critical step in decision making for cardiac surgery. Existing risk models may be improved by integrating a measure of frailty, such as 5-m gait speed, to better capture the heterogeneity of the older adult population.

To determine the association of 5-m gait speed with operative mortality and morbidity in older adults undergoing cardiac surgery.

A prospective cohort study was conducted from July 1, 2011, to March 31, 2014, at 109 centers participating in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database. The 5-m gait speed test was performed in 15 171 patients aged 60 years or older undergoing coronary artery bypass graft, aortic valve surgery, mitral valve surgery, or combined procedures.

All-cause mortality during the first 30 days after surgery; secondarily, a composite outcome of mortality or major morbidity during the index hospitalization.

Among the cohort of 15 171 patients undergoing cardiac surgery, the median age was 71 years and 4622 were female (30.5%). Compared with patients in the fastest gait speed tertile (>1.00 m/s), operative mortality was increased for those in the middle tertile (0.83-1.00 m/s; odds ratio [OR], 1.77; 95% CI, 1.34-2.34) and slowest tertile (<0.83 m/s; OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 2.31-4.33). After adjusting for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality and the surgical procedure, gait speed remained independently predictive of operative mortality (OR, 1.11 per 0.1-m/s decrease in gait speed; 95% CI, 1.07-1.16). Gait speed was also predictive of the composite outcome of mortality or major morbidity (OR, 1.03 per 0.1-m/s decrease in gait speed; 95% CI, 1.00-1.05). Addition of gait speed to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk resulted in a C statistic change of 0.005 and integrated discrimination improvement of 0.003.

Gait speed is an independent predictor of adverse outcomes after cardiac surgery, with each 0.1-m/s decrease conferring an 11% relative increase in mortality. Gait speed can be used to refine estimates of operative risk, to support decision-making and, since incremental value is modest when used as a sole criterion for frailty, to screen older adults who could benefit from further assessment.