[Impact of frailty and other geriatric syndromes on the clinical management and prognosis of elderly ambulatory patients with heart failure. A prospective and multicentre study]

Abstract

Background and objectives: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic disease that is often associated with ageing. There are predictive models based on variables that associate it with a poor prognosis, although those do not include common conditions in the elderly, such as frailty or comorbidity. The aim of this study is to determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of a cohort of elderly outpatients with HF followed-up by cardiologists. This will include a study of the prevalence of frailty and other geriatric syndromes, as well as their impact on the prognosis, and to evaluate whether these may improve predictive ability of such predictive models.

Material and methods: Observational, prospective, and multicentre study that will include 400 patients ≥75years old with chronic HF followed-up in Spanish tertiary hospitals by cardiology specialists in HF. Patients will undergo a comprehensive geriatric assessment, and prediction of events will be performed based on MAGGIC (Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure) and Barcelona-Bio HF calculator scores. The primary endpoint is cardiovascular and overall mortality at 1 and 3years follow-up.

Results: This study will assess both the characteristics and prognosis of elderly patients with HF followed-up by cardiologists in Spain and the applicability in the elderly population of scores used in the general population with chronic HF.

Conclusion: This is the first prospective study that will systematically assess frailty and other geriatric syndromes in the elderly outpatient with HF in Spain and followed-up by cardiologists, thus contributing to improve knowledge about both its prevalence and impact on our patients.

Keywords: Anciano; Comprehensive geriatric assessment; Elderly; Fragilidad; Frailty; Heart failure; Insuficiencia cardiaca; Prognosis; Pronóstico; Valoración geriátrica integral.