Long-Term Mortality and Quality of Life After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Insertion in Very Elderly Patients

We sought to compare long-term mortality and quality of life (QoL) in very elderly (≥80 years) patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in comparison with younger patients (<80 years).

A total of 101 patients treated with TAVI were divided into two groups according to age: <80 years (n = 42; 41.6%) and ≥80 years (n = 59; 58.4%). The baseline characteristics, including procedural outcomes as well as frailty and QoL assessment were compared between age groups.

Very elderly patients (≥80 years) were more frequently female, with a higher estimated risk of death based on STS score. Other baseline characteristics, including frailty indices, were comparable between groups. No difference in complication rate between age groups was observed. At 12 months, mortality rates were comparable for patients <80 years vs ≥80 years (16.7% vs 18.6%, respectively; P=.99). An improvement in QoL after 12 months as assessed by EQ-5D-3L was confirmed for both age groups, but with more pronounced beneficial effect of TAVI in younger patients.

The results of our single-center study showed that older age does not seem to be associated with impaired clinical outcomes after TAVI. However, benefit of TAVI in terms of long-term QoL improvement may be less apparent in very elderly patients.