The Effect of Frailty on 30‐day Mortality Risk in Older Patients With Acute Heart Failure Attended in the Emergency Department

Objective The objective was to determine the effect of frailty on risk of 30‐day mortality in nonseverely disabled older patients with acute heart failure (AHF) attended in emergency departments (EDs). Methodology The Frailty‐AHF Study is a retrospective analysis of a multicenter, observational, prospective, cohort study (Older‐AHF Register). This study included consecutive patients ≥ 65 years of age without severe functional dependence or dementia attended for AHF in three Spanish EDs for 4 months. Frailty was defined by frailty phenotype as the presence of three or more domains. Baseline and episode characteristics and 30‐day mortality were collected in all the patients. Results A total of 465 patients with a mean (±SD) age of 82 (±7) years were included, 283 (61.0%) being female and 225 (51.3%) with severe comorbidity (Charlson index ≥ 3). Frailty was present in 169 (36.3%). The rate of 30‐day mortality was 7.3%. Frailty adjusted for potential confounding factors was an independent factor associated with 30‐day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.5; 95% confidence interval = 1.0 to 6.0; p = 0.047). Conclusion The presence of frailty is an independent risk factor of 30‐day mortality in nonsevere dependent older patients attended with AHF in EDs.