Validating the Newly Reported ASA Score

Abstract

Purpose The ASA score (Age > 60 yo, serum sodium Methods We reviewed records of patients discharged on palliative inotropes who were not candidates for LVAD or heart transplant and calculated their ASA ‘point’ score. The effect of ASA score on survival was estimated and tested for statistical significance using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. In addition, Kaplan-Meier lifetable analysis was used to generate the figure and the log-rank p-value. Results A total of 72 patients from 2009 - 2017 met the inclusion criteria. (75% male, mean age 64, 75% white.) A point was assigned for each of the three components of the ASA score and each patient was scored from 0 to 3. As seen on the figure below, this score provides highly significant discrimination between patients with excellent survival at one year and those with progressively worse survival. (p=0.002) Conclusion The ASA score is a simple three component score that stratifies patients that are at low, medium and high risk for death on chronic inotropic therapy. Our analysis suggests that this score is a reliable way to assess mortality in patients receiving palliative inotropic therapy. However, further research is necessary to independently validate the score in a larger population.