Abstract Body: Background: Outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (OCR) is a recognized key component of secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, particularly after procedures such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Limited research has examined barriers among patients who have undergone TAVI, even as the number of these procedures continues to rise. Recognizing these barriers enables hospital and policy level strategies to provide targeted support and improve patient participation in OCR after TAVI.

Objective: To identify key OCR barriers among patients who underwent TAVI at the University of Tennessee Medical Center using a nurse-designed survey and see whether barriers varied by age and sex.

Methods: We identified individuals who underwent TAVI between 1/1/2021-5/31/2025 and contacted them to complete an online survey. Participants rated OCR barriers as “present”, “not present”, or “prefer not to answer”. For barriers without "prefer not to answer" responses and where there was participant response variation, Chi squared tests or Fisher’s exact tests were used to assess whether barriers differed by age (55-64, 65-74, 75-84, ≥85 years(y)) and sex.

Results: Thirty-five individuals participated in the survey, and n=24 (95.8% >65y, 54.2% female) completed the demographic and OCR sections. The most reported barriers were lack of transportation (58.3%) and physical limitations/health (25.0%). About 12.5% of survey participants cited other barriers such as OCR distance, financial constraints, lack of awareness, emotional or psychological challenges, and lack of family/friend support. Where sample size allowed for statistical testing, we observed that barriers such as lack of transportation, OCR distance, financial constraints, physical limitations/health, lack of family/friend support, and difficulty understanding OCR program materials did not vary significantly by age categories or sex.

Conclusion: While many barriers did not differ by age or sex, nurse-led identification of transportation as a major barrier for >50% of participants to undergo OCR post TAVI is notable. This finding highlights the need for targeted clinical and policy solutions to improve OCR access in this Tennessee patient population.