Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40345168›Full record

Observational studyEmergency medicine Australasia : EMA2025

Does frailty scoring help to predict outcomes in older patients with major trauma? A retrospective study at a major trauma centre.

Charlotte G Underwood, Andrew McCombie, Maria Nonis, Laura R Joyce

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Charlotte G UnderwoodEmergency Medicine, Yorkshire and Humber Deanery, Sheffield, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7192-2606
Andrew McCombieDepartment of Surgery, Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Maria NonisDepartment of Surgery, Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora, Christchurch, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0003-0523-9996
Laura R JoyceDepartment of Surgery and Critical Care, University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0001-8113-3814

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of frailty on outcomes for older patients presenting with major trauma to a tertiary ED in Aotearoa New Zealand.

methodsA retrospective observational study of patients 65 years and older who presented to Christchurch ED, New Zealand, with major trauma between 1 January and 31 December 2022. The primary outcome was a composite of in-hospital mortality or increased care requirements on discharge from hospital. Demographic details, in-hospital management, and outcomes were retrieved. Clinical Frailty Scale scoring had prospectively been recorded at the time of admission. Univariable analysis of discrete dependent variables was carried out. Mediation analysis was undertaken, wherein frailty was the mediator between age and the primary outcome variable.

resultsAfter exclusion criteria were applied, 134 patients were included for analysis. Even after controlling for age, for every additional point on the Clinical Frailty Scale, the odds of in-hospital mortality or increased care requirements on discharge increased by 36.4% (95% confidence interval: 9.4-85). Only 33% of these major trauma patients were appropriately identified at presentation and so received a trauma team activation, with worsened activation rates with increasing frailty.

conclusionsThe presence of significant injuries in older trauma patients is under-recognised. Frailty scoring could be used in the ED for early identification of those patients at high risk of poor outcomes, so that active management strategies can be put in place to optimise their care.

Indexed as

FrailtyWounds and InjuriesAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHospital MortalityHumansMaleNew ZealandRetrospective StudiesTrauma Centersemergency departmentfrailtytrauma

Identifiers

PMID40345168
PMCPMC12062843

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Registered trials

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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.