Impact of frailty on outcomes and biliary drainage strategies in acute cholangitis: A retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: Acute cholangitis (AC) is a potentially fatal infection of the biliary tract characterized by varying degrees of severity, with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) serving as the primary drainage modality. Though frailty is linked to poor outcomes in general, its implications for AC patients remain unexplored.

Methods: Using the National Inpatient Sample Database 2017-2020, we identified adult AC hospitalizations, which were further stratified based on frailty. A multivariate regression model was used for analysis.

Results: We included 32,310 AC patients, out of whom 11,230 (34.76 %) were frail. Frail patients had elevated AC severity as well as in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 6.89; P < 0.01). Additionally, frail patients were found to have significantly higher odds of complications including septic shock (aOR 15.87), acute renal failure (aOR 5.67), acute respiratory failure (aOR 11.11) and need for mechanical ventilation (aOR 13.80). From a procedural viewpoint, frail patients had higher odds of undergoing percutaneous biliary drainage (PBD) but lower odds of undergoing "early" ERCP (ERCP within 24 h of admission). When compared to non-frail counterparts, frail patients were more likely to undergo PBD as opposed to early ERCP (aOR 1.46; P = 0.01).

Conclusion: Frailty independently predicts poor AC outcomes and has a notable impact on the choice of biliary drainage procedure. Recognizing frailty instead of age alone as a determinant of AC outcomes can aid clinicians in risk stratification and guide tailored interventions in this population.