Observational studyBMC anesthesiology2019
Routine frailty assessment predicts postoperative complications in elderly patients across surgical disciplines - a retrospective observational study.
Observational study in BMC anesthesiology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05575791 (Evaluation of Preoperative Acceptance of Proactive Palliative Care Intervention), which is not on this map. Cited by 51 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Evaluation of Preoperative Acceptance of Proactive Palliative Care Intervention
Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 130 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association between frailty and hospital-related adverse events in older hospitalised patients: a systematic literature review.European geriatric medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Preoperative frailty and postoperative complications after non-cardiac surgery: a systematic review.The Journal of international medical research · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Association of Preoperative High-Intensity Interval Training With Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Postoperative Outcomes Among Adults Undergoing Major Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2023Pooled it
- Trial
- Facilitators and barriers to participation in prehabilitation prior to orthopaedic elective surgery - a qualitative study with elderly (pre-)frail patients.BMC geriatrics · 2025Trial
- Unintentional Weight Loss Does Not Predict Poor Outcomes in Zenker Diverticulum.The Laryngoscope · 2026Observational
- Exploring barriers to care and patient perspectives in metabolic and bariatric surgery.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- Association of the Primary Care Frailty Index with Postoperative Outcomes in Older Patients Undergoing Major Gastrointestinal Oncologic Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Exploring the Impact of Anesthesia on Postoperative Frailty Trajectories in Older Adults.World journal of surgery · 2026Article
- The impact of frailty and sarcopenia index on postoperative nausea and vomiting in elderly patients undergoing sedation-assisted gastrointestinal endoscopy.BMC anesthesiology · 2026Article
- Assessment of frailty and inflammatory burden index as predictors of postoperative IAA in elderly appendectomy patients.BMC surgery · 2025Article
- Assessing frailty to predict surgical risk: a comparative study of three tools in older non-cardiac surgery patients.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- A secondary analysis of cortical atrophy and plasma amyloid β patterns in older patients with cognitive frailty undergoing elective surgery.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Influence of frailty status on the incidence of intraoperative hypotensive events in elective surgery: Hypo-Frail, a single-centre retrospective cohort study.British journal of anaesthesia · 2025Article
- Factors involved in the development of hospital-acquired conditions in older patients in acute care settings: a scoping review.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Pre-surgical memory impairment is associated with risk of postoperative cognitive dysfunction in a large geriatric cohort.JAR life · 2025Article
- Developing and implementing a geriatric surgery co-management program for older adults: insights from document analysis.Surgery in geriatrics and frailty · 2025Article
- Article
- Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment as a predictor model for post-operative delirium in older adults undergoing major non-cardiac elective surgery.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFrailty is a frequent and underdiagnosed functional syndrome involving reduced physiological reserves and an increased vulnerability against stressors, with severe individual and socioeconomic consequences. A routine frailty assessment was implemented at our preoperative anaesthesia clinic to identify patients at risk.
objectiveThis study examines the relationship between frailty status and the incidence of in-hospital postoperative complications in elderly surgical patients across several surgical disciplines.
designRetrospective observational analysis.
settingSingle center, major tertiary care university hospital. Data collection took place between June 2016 and March 2017. PATIENTS: Patients 65 years old or older were evaluated for frailty using Fried's 5-point frailty assessment prior to elective non-cardiac surgery. Patients were classified into non-frail (0 criteria, reference group), pre-frail (1-2 positive criteria) and frail (3-5 positive criteria) groups.
main outcome measuresThe incidence of postoperative complications was assessed until discharge from the hospital, using the roster from the National VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Propensity score matching and logistic regression analysis were performed.
resultsFrom 1186 elderly patients, 46.9% were classified as pre-frail (n = 556), and 11.4% as frail (n = 135). The rate of complications were significantly higher in the pre-frail (34.7%) and frail groups (47.4%), as compared to the non-frail group (27.5%). Similarly, length of stay (non-frail: 5.0 [3.0;7.0], pre-frail: 7.0 [3.0;9.0], frail 8.0 [4.5;12.0]; p < 0.001) and discharges to care facilities (non-frail:1.6%, pre-frail: 7.4%, frail: 17.8%); p < 0.001) were significantly associated with frailty status. After propensity score matching and logistic regression analysis, the risk for developing postoperative complications was approximately two-fold for pre-frail (OR 1.78; 95% CI 1.04-3.05) and frail (OR 2.08; 95% CI 1.21-3.60) patients.
conclusionsThe preoperative frailty assessment of elderly patients identified pre-frail and frail subgroups to have the highest rate of postoperative complications, regardless of age, surgical discipline, and surgical risk. Significantly increased length of hospitalisation and discharges to care facilities were also observed. Implementation of routine frailty assessments appear to be an effective tool in identifying patients with increased risk. Now future studies are needed to investigate whether patients benefit from optimization of patient counselling, process planning, and risk reduction protocols based on the application of risk stratification.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.