Role of the uric acid/albumin ratio in predicting mortality of patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether baseline uric acid/albumin ratio (UAR) was a predictor for mortality in patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) due to severe aortic stenosis. Patients and methods: The retrospective study included 240 patients (121 females, 119 males; mean age 77.5±7.6 years; range, 52 to 95 years) who underwent TAVI between January 2015 and January 2020 in two centers. Patient characteristics were compared between two groups according to mortality during follow-up (the mortality group and the survival group). The value of the UAR in predicting mortality was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Predictors of mortality after TAVI were investigated with Cox regression analysis. Results: In-hospital mortality developed in 16 (6.7%) patients, and postdischarge all-cause mortality was observed in 41 (17.1%). The two-year mortality rate was determined to be 15%. The rate of systolic heart failure, systolic pulmonary artery pressure, and UAR were found to be significantly higher in the mortality group (p=0.007, p=0.036, and p<0.001, respectively). The diagnostic power of UAR in predicting mortality was poor (the area under the curve=0.671, confidence interval [CI]: 0.589-0.753, p<0.001). Independent predictors of mortality after TAVI were UAR >2.03 (hazard ratio=2.958, CI: 1.623-5.393, p<0.001) and platelet count (hazard ratio=0.996, CI: 0.992-1.000, p=0.05). Conclusion: Uric acid/albumin ratio was found to be an independent predictor for short-and long-term all-cause mortality in patients who underwent TAVI.