The Modified Five-Item Frailty Index, Mortality, and Hospital Length of Stay in Geriatric Traumatic Fall Injuries

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Trauma
• Frailty Assessment
• Clinical Outcomes Research

Background:

• Falls are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults.
• The impact of frailty on outcomes for geriatric trauma patients with fall-related injuries is not well understood.
• Geriatric patients over 65 years old are particularly vulnerable to fall-related injuries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between frailty, using the modified five-item frailty index (mFI-5), and inpatient mortality.
• To examine the relationship between frailty (mFI-5) and hospital length of stay in geriatric patients with fall-related injuries.
• To explore the independent effects of frailty and age on post-fall outcomes in older adults.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of data from 6,782 patients aged 65 and above admitted for fall-related injuries between 2014-2020.
• Frailty assessment using the modified five-item frailty index (mFI-5).
• Logistic and linear regression analyses to determine the association between mFI-5 scores, inpatient mortality, and hospital length of stay.

Main Results:

• Higher mFI-5 scores were significantly associated with increased inpatient mortality (OR: 1.259; P<0.000).
• Higher mFI-5 scores correlated with longer hospital length of stay (Coeff.: 0.460; P<0.000).
• Age was negatively associated with hospital length of stay but not significantly with inpatient mortality.

Conclusions:

• Frailty, as measured by mFI-5, is a significant predictor of adverse outcomes in geriatric patients with fall-related injuries.
• The findings underscore the importance of assessing frailty in older adults following falls to anticipate and manage inpatient outcomes.
• Interventions targeting frailty may be crucial for improving care and reducing resource utilization in this patient population.