Screening for frailty in older surgery patients

Editor's Note

Identifying frailty in older patients could increase their chances of surviving surgery and improve their overall outcomes, this study finds.

Researchers conducted frailty screening using five characteristics: weight loss, weakness (grip strength), exhaustion, low activity level, and slow gait.

Of 125 patients screened in a thoracic surgery clinic, 31% were found to be not frail, 57% were prefail, and 12% were frail. The most common frailty symptom was exhaustion, and the least common was slowness. Frailty did not significantly differ between men and women.

The study shows that a large number of surgical patients have important risk factors related to frailty, the authors say. Knowing what these factors are can help physicians, patients, and families understand the risks and may motivate them to participate in risk-reduction activities.

The presence of frailty or prefrailty in older adults is a risk factor for postsurgical complications. The frailty phenotype can be improved through long-term resistance and aerobic training. It is unknown whether short-term preoperative interventions targeting frailty will help to mitigate surgical risk. The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of frail and prefrail patients presenting to a thoracic surgical clinic who could benefit from a frailty reduction intervention.