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COVID-19-Associated Outcomes of Critical Illness in Patients with Frailty: a Cohort Study

Carmel L Montgomery1, Andrea Davenport2, Lazar Milovanovic2

  • 1Faculty of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton.

Canadian Geriatrics Journal : CGJ
|September 5, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Pre-admission frailty in critically ill COVID-19 patients was 20.2%, significantly increasing hospital mortality risk. Frailty assessment is crucial for predicting outcomes in these patients.

Area of Science:

  • Critical Care Medicine
  • Geriatrics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Pre-admission frailty is linked to increased mortality in critically ill patients.
  • Understanding frailty's impact in COVID-19 critical illness is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of frailty in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with COVID-19.
  • To assess the association between pre-admission frailty and hospital mortality in this cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Historical cohort study of adult ICU admissions in Alberta, Canada (May-October 2020).
  • Frailty assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), with frailty defined as CFS score ≥5.
  • Primary outcomes: frailty prevalence and hospital mortality.

Main Results:

  • The cohort (n=521) had a 34.2% frailty prevalence.
  • Among COVID-19 ICU admissions (n=99), 20.2% had pre-admission frailty.
  • Hospital mortality was significantly higher in frail COVID-19 patients (35.4%) compared to non-frail (14.0%).

Conclusions:

  • Pre-admission frailty is prevalent in COVID-19 ICU admissions and strongly associated with increased hospital mortality.
  • Frailty assessment offers valuable prognostic information for COVID-19 ICU admissions.
  • Further research is needed on frailty's impact on patient-centered outcomes.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19ICU survivorshipfrailtyintensive carepneumonia

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