Impact of frailty on outcomes in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention

Frailty is characterized by reduced biological reserves and weakened resistance to stressors, and is common in older adults. This study evaluated the prognostic implications of frailty at hospitalization in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

We prospectively analysed 546 AMI patients aged ≥80 years undergoing PCI from 2009 to 2017. Frailty was classified based on impairment in walking (unassisted, assisted, and wheelchair/non-ambulatory), cognition (normal, mildly impaired, moderately to severely impaired), and basic activities of daily living. Impairment in each domain was scored as 0, 1, or 2, and patients were categorized into the following three groups based on total score: no frailty (0), mild frailty (1–2), moderate-to-severe frailty (≥3). The median follow-up period was 589 days. Of the 546 patients, 27.8% were frail (mild or moderate-to-severe), and this proportion significantly increased to 35.5% at discharge (P < 0.001). Compared to non-frail patients, frail patients were older, less likely to be male, and had a higher rate of advanced Killip class. Major bleeding (no frailty, 9.6%; mild frailty, 16.9%; moderate-to-severe frailty, 31.8%; P < 0.001) and in-hospital mortality (no frailty, 8.4%; mild frailty, 15.4%; moderate-to-severe frailty, 27.3%; P < 0.001) increased as frailty worsened. After adjusting for confounders, frailty was independently associated with higher mid-term all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.23–2.65; P = 0.002).

Frailty in AMI patients aged ≥80 years undergoing PCI was associated with major bleeding, in-hospital death, and mid-term mortality.