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

Abstract 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 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.