Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42260404›Full record

Observational studyBMC geriatrics2026

Cardiac surgery as a means of reversing frailty - the CURE-Frailty Trial a prospective cohort study.

V-A Rudas, A Lassnigg, A Fischer-Hammerschmied, S Ryz, J Tichy, R Ristl, J Lanzerstorfer, M H Bernardi

Registry-linked trialAbstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in BMC geriatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04875923 (Cardiac Surgery as a Means of Reversing Frailty - The CURE-Frailty Trial), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

NCT04875923 completednot on this map

Cardiac Surgery as a Means of Reversing Frailty - The CURE-Frailty Trial

TypeobservationalSponsorDr. Valerie-Anna RudasRan2021 to 2022Enrolled80ConditionsFrailty
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

8 authors.

V-A RudasDivision of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, A-1090, Austria.
A LassniggDivision of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, A-1090, Austria.
A Fischer-HammerschmiedDivision of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, A-1090, Austria.
S RyzDivision of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, A-1090, Austria.
J TichyDivision of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, A-1090, Austria.
R RistlCenter for Medical Statistics, Informatics and Intelligent Systems, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
J LanzerstorferDivision of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, A-1090, Austria.
M H BernardiDivision of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, Vienna, A-1090, Austria. martin.bernardi@meduniwien.ac.at.ORCID 0000-0002-8297-898X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is significant clinical and pathophysiological overlap between frailty and cardiovascular disease. Reversibility of frailty has previously been discussed; therefore, we hypothesised that alleviation of heart failure symptoms through cardiac surgery can reduce frailty. We aimed to examine frailty before and after cardiac surgery, as well as factors influencing frailty improvement.

methodsWe conducted a prospective observational single centre study in patients undergoing elective open or interventional cardiac surgery. Frailty was assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). Follow-up was performed at the time of hospital discharge, as well as 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Change in CFS between baseline and final follow-up was the primary endpoint of the study and was analysed using a paired Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Additionally, a logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors influencing improvement of frailty.

resultsSeventy-six patients were analysed in this trial. 1 year after cardiac surgery, median CFS decreased from 4 to 3 (P < 0.001). Frailty improved in 35.5%, increased in 5.2% and remained stable in 38.2% of participants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between cardiac rehabilitation and improvement of frailty.

conclusionsCardiac surgery has the potential to reverse frailty, with cardiac rehabilitation being an important factor in the postoperative improvement of frailty.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT04875923), registered on 21/04/2021.

Indexed as

Cardiac Surgical ProceduresFrailtyAgedAged, 80 and overCohort StudiesFemaleFollow-Up StudiesFrail ElderlyHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesCardiac surgeryFrailtyFunctional statusObservational studyQuality of life

Identifiers

PMID42260404
PMCPMC13471656

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Registered trials

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.