Comparison of Frail Patients vs Non-Frail Patients ≥65 Years of Age Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

摘要

Frailty is a geriatric syndrome characterized by functional impairments and is associated with poor outcomes; however, the prevalence of frailty and its association with health status in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is unknown. To assess the prevalence of frailty and its association with health status in PCI-treated patients, we studied 629 patients ≥65 years old undergoing PCI from October 2005 through September 2008. Frailty was characterised using the Fried criteria: weight loss >10 pounds in the past one year, exhaustion, low physical activity, poor gait speed and grip strength (3 features = frail; 1–2 features = intermediate frailty; 0 features = not frail). Health status was assessed using the Short-Form (SF) 36 and the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ). Multivariable linear regression models were used to estimate the independent association between frailty and health status. Complete data on 545 patients demonstrated that 19% (n=117) were frail, 47% (n=298) had intermediate frailty, and 21% (n=130) were not frail. Frail patients had more comorbidities and more frequent left main or multivessel disease after adjusting for age and sex (p<0.05 across groups). Multivariable linear regression demonstrated poorer health status in frail patients, as compared to non-frail patients, as evidenced by lower SF-36 scores, lower SAQ scores for physical limitation, and lower SAQ scores for quality of life (p<0.001 for each health status domain). In conclusion, one-fifth of older patients are frail at the time of PCI and have higher comorbid burden, angiographic disease severity, and poorer health status than non-frail adults.