Analysis of Outcomes of the Nutritional Status in Patients Qualified for Aortic Valve Replacement in Comparison to Healthy Elderly

Adequacy of oral intakes after cardiac surgery within an ERAS pathway: A prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

The 2019 Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery (ERACS) guidelines presented perioperative recommendations to optimize treatment for patients undergoing cardiac surgery (CS). However, the guidelines have not established postoperative nutrition recommendations. Limited studies have analyzed oral intakes after CS, but to our knowledge, none have done so in an ERACS pathway. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of postoperative oral intakes, including adherence to oral nutrition supplements (ONSs).

METHODS

This was an observational prospective study. Postoperative oral intakes were analyzed from postoperative day (POD) 1 to 4, using direct observation of meal plates provided by the hospital. ONSs consumption was evaluated from POD2 to POD4. Adherence to other ERACS recommendations, including nutrition optimization before surgery, was recorded.

RESULTS

Forty-three patients were included in this study. Nutrition optimization before CS was offered to three (7%) patients. Forty-one (95%) patients resumed oral intakes on POD1. Mean oral calorie and protein intakes from POD2 to POD4 were 1088 ± 437 kcal and 0.8 ± 0.3 g/kg, respectively; however, 17 (41%) patients had calorie and protein intakes ≥70% of their estimated requirements. On POD2, ONSs consumption contributed 35% ± 19% and 38% ± 20% of calorie and protein intake, respectively. There was a significant decrease in ONSs consumption starting on POD3.

CONCLUSION

Within an ERACS pathway and with the contribution of ONSs, 41% of patients achieved sufficient oral intakes within the first 4 days after CS. The optimization of ONSs adherence on postoperative oral intakes should be further studied.

Naples prognostic score as a predictor of mortality in surgical aortic valve replacement

Aim: Investigating the impact of nutritional and inflammatory status, assessed by the Naples-Prognostic-Score (NPS), on postoperative mortality in 173 older adults undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement(SAVR) for aortic stenosis(AS).Methods: Retrospective study calculating NPS from neutrophils/lymphocytes, lymphocytes/monocytes, total cholesterol and serum albumin.Results: Mean age was 69.39 ± 6.153 with 45.1% females. The post-operative mortality was 23.7% over a follow-up period of 50 ± 31 months. The 1-month mortality rate is 2.89%. High NPS significantly associated with increased mortality; multivariate logistic regression confirmed its independence (odds-ratio:3.494, 95% confidence-interval:1.555-7.849, p = 0.002). NPS cutoff of 2 showed 73.2% sensitivity, 56.8% specificity and area-under-the-curve of 0.758 for predicting all-cause mortality. Kaplan-Meier analysis supported lower NPS correlating with better survival.Conclusion: NPS independently predicts postoperative mortality in SAVR patients.

Futility in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: A Search for Clarity

Although transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has revolutionised the landscape of treatment for aortic stenosis, there exists a cohort of patients where TAVI is deemed futile. Among the pivotal high-risk trials, one-third to half of patients either died or received no symptomatic benefit from the procedure at 1 year. Futility of TAVI results in the unnecessary exposure of risk for patients and inefficient resource utilisation for healthcare services. Several cardiac and extra-cardiac conditions and frailty increase the risk of mortality despite TAVI. Among the survivors, these comorbidities can inhibit improvements in symptoms and quality of life. However, certain conditions are reversible with TAVI (e.g. functional mitral regurgitation), attenuating the risk and improving outcomes. Quantification of disease severity, identification of reversible factors and a systematic evaluation of frailty can substantially improve risk stratification and outcomes. This review examines the contribution of pre-existing comorbidities towards futility in TAVI and suggests a systematic approach to guide patient evaluation.

Frailty in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement: prognostic value of the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index

BACKGROUND

Malnutrition is a hallmark of frailty, is common among elderly patients, and is a predictor of poor outcomes in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS). The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) is a simple and well-established screening tool to predict the risk of morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. In this study, we evaluated whether GNRI may be used in the risk stratification and management of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

METHODS

Patients with symptomatic severe AS (n = 953) who underwent transfemoral TAVR at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Kiel, Germany, between 2010 and 2019 (development cohort) were divided into two groups: normal GNRI ≥ 98 (no nutrition-related risk; n = 618) versus low GNRI < 98 (at nutrition-related risk; n = 335). The results were validated in an independent (validation) cohort from another high-volume TAVR centre (n = 977).

RESULTS

The low-GNRI group had a higher proportion of female patients (59.1% vs. 52.1%), higher median age (82.9 vs. 81.8 years), prevalence of atrial fibrillation (50.4% vs. 40.0%), median logistic EuroSCORE (17.5% vs. 15.0%) and impaired left ventricular function (<35%: 10.7% vs. 6.8%), lower median estimated glomerular filtration rate (50 vs. 57 mL/min/1.73 m² ) and median albumin level (3.5 vs. 4.0 g/dL) compared with the normal-GNRI group. Among peri-procedural complications, Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) Stage 3 was more common in the low-GNRI group (3.6% vs. 0.6%, p = 0.002). After a mean follow-up of 21.1 months, all-cause mortality was significantly increased in the low-GNRI group compared with the normal-GNRI group (p < 0.001). This was confirmed in the validation cohort (p < 0.001). Low GNRI < 98 was identified as an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 1.44, 95% CI 1.01-2.04, p = 0.043). Other independent risk factors included albumin level < median of 4.0 g/dL, high-sensitive troponin T in the highest quartile (> 45.0 pg/mL), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in the highest quartile (> 3595 pg/mL), grade III-IV tricuspid regurgitation, pulmonary arterial hypertension, life-threatening bleeding, AKIN Stage 3 and disabling stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

Low GNRI score was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in patients undergoing TAVR, implying that this vulnerable group may benefit from improved preventive measures.

Changes in the nutritional and activity status of elderly patients within 6 months of transcatheter aortic valve replacement: A mixed methods approach

AIM

Our aim was to explore changes in nutritional and activity status of patients within 6 months after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and factors affecting malnutrition post-TAVR in this cohort, and to gain understanding of their lifestyle considerations.

METHODS

Using a mixed methods approach, we conducted a prospective, longitudinal survey, consisting of interviews and a questionnaire, of 50 participants aged ≥70 years (mean age, 83 years; 58.0% female) undergoing TAVR. Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and albumin level (to measure nutritional status) and Physical Component Summary (PCS) scores from the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (to measure activity status) were collected at pre-TAVR and 1 month and 6 months post-TAVR. Laboratory data and some index scores (e.g., the Clinical Frailty Scale [CFS] and the Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]) assessed before TAVR were collected from medical records as related factors.

RESULTS

Significant change was observed only in the MNA scores of participants who were assessed as malnourished at pre-TAVR, which improved, but did not reach normal nutritional status. Low-flow low-gradient aortic stenosis (odds ratio [OR]: 166.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.43-5094.43), higher CFS scores (OR: 2.58, 95% CI: 1.01-6.54), and lower MMSE scores (OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43-0.99) were related to malnutrition post-TAVR. From interviews, three themes emerged: "balancing heart-healthy lifestyle and longstanding habits," "living with aging and disease" and "prospects for the rest of life."

CONCLUSIONS

Our results could be utilized to identify patients at risk of malnutrition post-TAVR, and to provide support with consideration of their lifestyle concerns.

Association between Nutritional Status and Mortality after Aortic Valve Replacement Procedure in Elderly with Severe Aortic Stenosis

Background: There is still a lack of data on the nutritional status of older people with aortic stenosis (AS) and the effect of poor nutrition on the occurrence of complications and mortality after an aortic valve replacement (AVR) procedure. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of selected nutritional status parameters in elderly patients with severe AS on the occurrence of postoperative complications and one-year mortality after the AVR procedure. Methods: 101 elderly patients with AS aged 74.6 ± 5.2 years who qualified for surgical treatment (aortic valve area [AVA] 0.73 ± 0.2 cm²) were enrolled in the study. A nutritional status assessment was performed before AVR surgery, and the frequency of postoperative complications occurring within 30 days of surgery was assessed. The one-year mortality rate was also captured. Results: Adverse events (both major and minor) up to 30 days occurred in 49.5% (n = 50) of the study population. Low Mini Nutritional Assessment (f-MNA) and Subjective Global Assessment (7-SGA) scores and low concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and prealbumin were associated with a higher risk of postoperative complications. The risk of complications increased 1.22 times (95% CI; 1.030–1.453; p = 0.019) with an impaired nutritional status. The annual mortality rate in the study group was 7.9%. Unintentional weight loss of >2.8% in the six months preceding surgery proved useful for predicting death within the first year after AVR surgery. Conclusions: The results indicate that poor nutritional status is an important factor affecting the adverse outcomes in elderly patients with severe aortic valve stenosis undergoing an AVR procedure.