The application value of frailty assessment tools in the perioperative period: A narrative review

Frailty is a clinical syndrome characterized by reduced physiological reserves and multisystem dysfunction, which markedly elevates the risk of postoperative complications and delayed functional recovery, and increases mortality. Amid the rapidly aging global population, the proportion of surgical patients with frailty is steadily increasing, presenting substantial challenges for perioperative management. Conventional preoperative assessment tools have significant limitations in identifying frailty and predicting surgical outcomes, while the clinical utility of emerging assessment methods requires further systematic evaluation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of preoperative frailty assessment tools. It critically examines recent advances from 2019 to 2025 and incorporates seminal foundational studies that established core concepts and validated key early instruments. The analysis evaluates their comparative efficacy, clinical utility in perioperative care, and existing limitations, aiming to offer scholars and clinicians a balanced and insightful perspective rather than an exhaustive summary of all available evidence.