ABSTRACT
Background Evaluation of patient outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has usually been based on sur-vival and clinical improvement. Studies on quality of life are limited, and data from comprehensive assessments after the procedure are lack-ing. Methods Sixty patients referred for cardiac rehabilitation after TAVI underwent in-hospital and after-discharge multidimensional as-sessments to evaluate clinical, functional, and nutritional statuses, degree of autonomy, cognitive impairment, depression and quality of life. Results On admission to rehabilitation, approximately half of the patients had severe functional impairment and dependence for basic ac-tivities of daily living. During their hospital stay, one-third of the patients suffered significant clinical complications and two had to be trans-ferred to the implantation center. Despite this, the overall outcome was very good. All of the remaining patients were clinically stable at dis-charge and functional status, autonomy and quality of life were improved in most. During a mean follow-up of 540 days (range:192–738 days), five patients died from noncardiac causes, three were hospitalized for cardiac events, and nine for non cardiac reasons. Functional status and autonomy remained satisfactory in the majority of patients and most continued to live independently. Conclusions Patients re-ferred for rehabilitation after TAVI are often very frail, with a high grade of functional impairment, dependence on others and high risk of clinical complications. During a rehabilitation programme, based on a multidimensional assessment and intervention, most patients showed significant improvement in functional status, quality of life, and autonomy, which remained stable in the majority of subjects during mid-term follow-up.