Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40867013›Full record

ArticleCritical care (London, England)2025

Impact of frailty on in-hospital outcomes in nonagenarian ICU patients: a binational multicenter analysis of 8,220 cases.

Je Min Suh, Nattaya Raykateeraroj, Raelynn Tong, David Pilcher, Dong-Kyu Lee, Laurence Weinberg

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Critical care (London, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. [Special ethical aspects in older intensive care patients].Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
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

6 authors.

Je Min SuhDepartment of Anaesthesia, Austin Health, 145 Studley Road, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia.
Nattaya RaykateerarojDepartment of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Raelynn TongDepartment of Anaesthesia, Austin Health, 145 Studley Road, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia.
David PilcherDepartment of Intensive Care, The Alfred Hospital, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Australia.
Dong-Kyu LeeDepartment of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
Laurence WeinbergDepartment of Anaesthesia, Austin Health, 145 Studley Road, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia. laurence.weinberg@austin.org.au.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAs global populations age, the number of nonagenarians admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) is rising. Frailty, a multidimensional syndrome marked by diminished physiological reserves, has been associated with adverse outcomes in older ICU patients. However, evidence remains limited regarding its prognostic significance in nonagenarians, who represent a unique and rapidly growing subset of critically ill patients. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of frailty on in-hospital mortality and length of stay among nonagenarian ICU patients in Australia and New Zealand.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the ANZICS Adult Patient Database, including nonagenarians admitted to 211 ICUs between 2017 and 2023 with documented Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) scores. Patients were classified as frail (CFS ≥ 5) or non-frail (CFS < 5). Propensity score matching (1:1) was applied to adjust for confounders including age, sex, illness severity, admission type, and comorbidities. Outcomes included ICU and hospital mortality, and ICU and hospital lengths of stay (LOS). Statistical analyses included multivariable Cox regression, log-transformed logistic regression, and Fine Gray competing risks models.

resultsAmong 16,439 nonagenarians, 8220 patients were propensity matched. In the matched cohort, frailty was independently associated with increased hospital mortality (adjusted HR 1.352, 95% CI 1.192-1.534, p < 0.001) and ICU mortality (adjusted HR 1.242, 95% CI 1.044-1.440, p = 0.017). Each one-point increase in CFS score was associated with a 9% increase in the odds ratio of ICU mortality (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01-1.18, p = 0.026) and a 19% increase in the odds ratio of hospital mortality (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.10-1.28, p < 0.001). Frailty was not associated with ICU LOS after adjustment (p = 0.739) but predicted prolonged hospital LOS (adjusted β = 1.051, 95% CI 1.033-1.070, p < 0.001).

conclusionsFrailty is a strong, independent predictor of hospital mortality and prolonged hospitalization in critically ill nonagenarians, even after adjusting for illness severity and comorbidities. These findings support the incorporation of frailty assessment into early risk stratification and clinical decision-making in ICU settings, to facilitate goal-concordant care and optimize resource allocation for the very elderly.

Indexed as

FrailtyOutcome Assessment, Health CareAged, 80 and overAustraliaCohort StudiesCritical IllnessFemaleHospital MortalityHumansIntensive Care UnitsLength of StayLogistic ModelsMaleNew ZealandPropensity ScoreRetrospective StudiesAgingCritical illnessGeriatricsIntensive care unitNonagenarians

Identifiers

PMID40867013
PMCPMC12392580

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.