Assessing Frailty and Its Implications on Anesthesia Care and Postoperative Outcomes in Surgical Patients

Identification of elderly patients at high risk of poor outcomes following surgery remains difficult. Clinicians currently lack a tool to consistently aid them in this process. For instance, the ASA physical status score (ASA-PS) is one commonly used tool to identify high-risk surgical patients using comorbidities. However, this scoring system is too subjective to yield consistent results. According to retrospective research, the concept of frailty is a valid construct with the potential to create a generalizable method for improving poor healthcare outcomes by risk stratification. Research has shown frail patients have higher rates of morbidity, mortality, and postoperative complications. This article aims to explore the Phenotype Theory of Frailty and the Accumulated Deficits Theory of Frailty and possible anesthetic implications of incorporating frailty screening into patient care. Use of a modified frailty index as a tool in a high-quality preoperative evaluation may help practitioners risk-stratify patients. This can allow for earlier mobilization of care resources before surgery to improve outcomes.