Predicting hospitalisation duration after transcatheter aortic valve implantation

OBJECTIVE: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is widely used as an alternative to conventional surgical aortic valve replacement. The aim of this study was to identify preprocedural predictors of duration of length of stay (LoS) after transfemoral TAVI (TF-TAVI). METHODS: We included all consecutive patients who underwent TF-TAVI at our centre between November 2010 and June 2013. Preprocedural, periprocedural and postprocedural variables were collected and evaluated to LoS. Linear regression was performed to find preprocedural predictors for total LoS. RESULTS: The population consisted of 114 patients (mean age: 79.6±8.7, 32.5% male). The median total LoS was 6.5 days (5-9 days). Multivariate analysis showed that the Metabolic Equivalent score (METs) (β=-0.084, p=0.011) and diastolic blood pressure (β=-0.011, p=0.016) independently contributed to the log-transformed LoS. CONCLUSION: Multivariate linear regression showed that lower METs and lower diastolic blood pressure were associated with prolonged LoS. Understanding patients' physical functionality can improve logistical planning of hospital stay and selecting patients eligible for early discharge.