Multidimentional Preoperative Frailty Assessment and Postoperative Complication Risk in Egyptian Geriatric Patients Undergoing Elective Cardiac Surgery.

Background: Frailty affects up to 51%of the geriatric population in developing countries which leads to increased morbidity and mortality.

Objective: To determine the association between pre-operative frailty through multidimentional assessment score, and the incidence of post-operative complications and to validate Robinson score in geriatric Egyptian patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery.

Methods: We recruited 180 elderly participants aged 60 years old and above, who underwent elective cardiac surgery. They were divided into frail, pre-frail, and non-frail groups after application of Robinson score (which includes cognitive and functional and fall risk assessment, number of comorbidities, and different laboratory data). Type and duration of operations and the presence and severity of complications at days 3 and 7 post-surgery, and the 30-day readmission rate were assessed.

Results: Operation duration and the occurrence of postoperative complications at days 3 and 7 were lowest in non-frail and highest in the frail group (p < 0.001 for both). Length of hospital stay and 30-day readmission rate also increased in the frail group. A positive, moderate correlation between frailty and blood transfusion (r = 0.405) and functional dependence (r = 0.552) was found at day-3 post-surgery. Finally, logistic regression analysis identified a 6-fold increase in postoperative complications in the frail group (OR = 6).

Conclusion: Preoperative frailty was associated with higher incidence of postoperative complications among geriatric patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. Frailty assessment by Robinson score can be considered as an accurate tool to predict postoperative complications during preoperative assessment of elderly patients.