PHASE ANGLE AS A MARKER OF FRAILTY AND PROGNOSIS IN HEART FAILURE: EVIDENCE FROM A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Cardiology
• Biophysics

Background:

• Frailty is common in heart failure (HF) patients and impacts prognosis.
• Assessing frailty in clinical settings is challenging.
• Objective methods for frailty assessment in HF are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate phase angle (PhA) as a diagnostic marker for frailty in HF patients.
• To assess the prognostic implications of PhA in HF.
• To explore PhA's utility in clinical practice for HF management.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 340 adult HF outpatients.
• Frailty assessed using the Fried Frailty Phenotype.
• Phase angle (PhA) measured via bioelectrical impedance analysis.

Main Results:

• PhA accurately identified frailty (AUC=0.714, p=0.001).
• A cutoff of 5.8° was independently associated with frailty and HF hospitalization.
• Continuous PhA analysis showed reduced risk for all outcomes with a 1° increase.

Conclusions:

• Phase angle (PhA) is an accurate and objective marker for frailty in HF.
• PhA predicts prognosis, including mortality and hospitalization, in HF patients.
• PhA assessment can complement clinical practice for frailty identification and prognosis.