Editor's Note Researchers at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, have developed a tool that helps predict the possibility of survival and independence at discharge for elderly patients with traumatic brain injury. The tool, which accounts for variables such as age, gender, and severity of brain injury, was evaluated in…

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Editor's Note In hospitals that care for a lower volume of frail patients, frail surgical patients have increased postoperative mortality and failure to rescue, finds this study. Of 63,381 frail patients analyzed, 30-day mortality in the lowest volume quintile was 1.1%, compared to 0.9% in the highest. Adjusted analysis found…

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Editor's Note Implementation of a frailty screening initiative for preoperative patients was associated with reduced mortality, this study finds. In 9,153 patients screened, postoperative mortality decreased significantly at 30, 180, and 365 days, and improvements were noted in both frail and nonfrail patients. Multivariate analysis showed a three-fold survival benefit…

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Editor's Note In this study, a Risk Analysis Index was found to measure frailty in surgical patients with predictive ability equal to other frailty tools, with an additional advantage of rapid, real-time, preoperative assessment feasible for guiding surgical decision making. The Index measures frailty prospectively using a questionnaire or retrospectively…

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Editor's Note For older hip fracture patients, the care they received at a postacute care facility had a three to eight times greater impact on their long-term recovery than the care they received at the hospital, this study finds. Nursing home factors explained three times more variation in the odds…

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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,…

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Editor's Note In this study, preoperative frailty was associated with a high risk for delirium after cardiac surgery. Of 55 patients included in the analysis, the prevalence of frailty was 30.9%. Frail patient had a higher incidence of delirium (47.1%) compared with nonfrail patients (2.6%). Frailty may be used to…

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Editor's Note Loss of independence in surgical patients 65 years and older was associated with readmission and mortality after discharge, this study finds. The study of more than 5,000 patients found that loss of independence occurred frequently and increased with age. After risk adjustment, loss of independence was significantly associated…

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Editor's Note Frailty has a significant impact on postoperative outcomes that varies with procedure, this study finds. Using data on 232,352 patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program who had elective, high-risk surgical procedures, multivariate analysis found that frailty was associated with complications, prolonged duration…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers developed a question prompt list for older adults considering high-risk surgery. Three decision-making needs were addressed, including clarification of treatment options, setting postoperative expectations, and advance care planning. The list included 11 questions within 3 domains: Should I have surgery? What should I expect…

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