Association of comorbid burden with clinical outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Objectives To investigate the association of the CharlsonComorbidity Index (CCI) with clinical outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Background Patients undergoing TAVI have high comorbid burden; however, there is limited evidence of its impact on clinical outcomes. Methods Data from 1887 patients from the UK, Canada, Spain, Switzerland and Italy were collected between 2007 and 2016. The association of CCI with 30-day mortality, Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 (VARC-2) composite early safety, long-term survival and length of stay (LoS) was calculated using logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models, as a whole cohort and at a country level, through a two-stage individual participant data (IPD) random effect meta-analysis. Results Most (60%) of patients had a CCI ≥3. A weak correlation was found between the total CCI and four different preoperative risks scores (p =0.16 to 0.29), and approximately 50% of patients classed as low risk from four risk prediction models still presented with a CCI ≥3. Per-unit increases in total CCI were not associated with increased odds of 30-day mortality (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.24) or VARC-2 early safety (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.14) but were associated with increased hazard of long-term mortality (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.16). The two-stage IPD meta-analysis indicated that CCI was not associated with LoS (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.02). Conclusion In this multicentre international study, patients undergoing TAVI had significant comorbid burden. We found a weak correlation between the CCI and well-established preoperative risks scores. The CCI had a moderate association with long-term mortality up to 5 years post-TAVI.