Frailty management in patients with heart valve disease: a scoping review

Purpose This study aims to identify, evaluate, and summarise evidence on frailty management in patients with valvular heart disease to inform the development of frailty management programs for clinical practice. Methods This study adheres to the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) framework and is reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines to guarantee methodological strictness and transparency. The system searched multiple databases and websites to gather evidence on the management of frailty in patients with heart valve disease. The search covered the period from the database's inception to October 2026. Literature screening, quality assessment, evidence extraction, and synthesis were conducted independently by two researchers, and the evidence was graded using the JBI Evidence Grading System (2014 edition). Results After a rigorous literature screening process, a total of 28 publications were included, comprising 3 clinical guidelines, 12 expert consensus documents, 1 systematic review, 1 evidence summary, 6 observational studies, 4 randomised controlled trials, and 1 quasi-experimental study. Through a systematic synthesis of the included literature, a total of 46 pieces of evidence were ultimately compiled, covering five areas: identification and screening assessment of the risk of frailty, comprehensive management, exercise rehabilitation management, multidimensional support management, and continuity of rehabilitation care. Conclusion The 46 pieces of evidence summarised in this study can serve as an evidence-based reference for clinical healthcare professionals when developing frailty management programs; however, as this evidence has not yet been systematically implemented in clinical practice, its effectiveness continues to be further validated by future research. Systematic Review Registration http://ebn.nursing.fudan.edu.cn/home , identifier ES20259514.