The Role of Edmonton Frailty Scale in Determining the Postoperative Complications in Elderly: A Prospective...

To explore the effect of Edmonton Frailty Index on the determination of postoperative complication and mortality rates in patients over 65 years of age.

An observational study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, University of Health Sciences, Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkiye, from January to July 2021.

Patients aged >65 years undergoing surgery were inducted. Frailty was defined as a multisystemic condition in which physical, physiological, and cognitive abilities are reduced. Demographic data, ASA, and Edmonton Frailty Test Score (EFS) were noted preoperatively. Subsequently, these patients were followed perioperatively and evaluated by Clavien-Dindo test (CDT) during the first month postoperatively.

There was no statistically significant difference between genders, except EFS, which was higher in females than in males. EFS increased as age increased with a statistically significant positive correlation. The patients with the highest EFS underwent neurosurgical operations. There was a statistically significant and positive correlation between the length of hospital stay and EFS. EFS values increased as the ASA score increased and the positive correlation was statistically significant. The mild frality group had the highest CDT scores and were statistically significant.

Frailty assessed by EFS has a statistically significant correlation with ASA and the CDT scores of the patients. EFS value was associated with length of hospital stay, unlike the ASA score. Both EFS and ASA were correlated with the CDT. Preoperative evaluation, especially in geriatric patients, is very important in determining postoperative complications, mortality, and length of hospital stay.

Edmonton frailty index, Clavien-Dindo scoring, American society of anaesthesiologists.