Sol-Ji Yoon

Prediction of Postoperative Complications Using Multidimensional Frailty Score in Older Female Cancer Patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Class 1 or 2.

BACKGROUND Even low-risk, elderly patients are at increased risk for postoperative morbidity compared with their younger counterparts. We sought to evaluate the role of a scoring model in predicting adverse surgical outcomes in low-risk, older, female cancer patients. STUDY DESIGN From October 2011 to May 2014, two hundred and eighty-one low-risk female patients (aged 65 years and older, American Society of Anesthesiologists class 1 or 2) undergoing curative cancer surgery were included. The Multidimensional Frailty Score (MFS) was calculated by comprehensive geriatric assessment. The primary end point was postoperative complication (eg, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, delirium, acute pulmonary thromboembolism, and unplanned ICU admission). Secondary outcomes were length of hospital stay and institutionalization. RESULTS Twenty patients experienced postoperative complications and 15 patients were discharged to nursing facilities. The fully adjusted odds ratio (OR) per 1-point increase in MFS was 1.412 (95% CI, 1.012-1.969; p = 0.042) for postoperative complications, 1.377 (95% CI, 0.935-2.026; p = 0.105) for institutionalization, and 1.411 (95% CI, 1.110-1.793; p = 0.005) for prolonged hospital stay. The high-risk group (MFS ≥7) showed an increased risk for postoperative complications (OR = 8.513; 95% CI, 2.210-32.785; p = 0.002), institutionalization (OR = 1.291; 95% CI, 0.324-5.152; p = 0.717), and prolonged hospital stay (OR = 2.336; 95% CI, 1.090-5.006; p = 0.029) compared with the low-risk group (MFS <7), after adjusting confounders. CONCLUSIONS Multidimensional Frailty Score based on a preoperative comprehensive geriatric assessment is useful for predicting postoperative complications and prolonged hospital stay, even in low-risk elderly women who are undergoing cancer surgery.

The Korean version of the FRAIL scale: clinical feasibility and validity of assessing the frailty status of Korean elderly

Background/Aims: The fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illnesses, and loss of weight (FRAIL) scale is a screening tool for frailty status using a simple 5-item questionnaire. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical feasibility and validity of the Korean version of the FRAIL (K-FRAIL) scale. Methods: Questionnaire items were translated and administered to 103 patients aged ≥ 65 years who underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment at the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. In this cross-sectional study, the K-FRAIL scale was compared with the domains and the multidimensional frailty index of the comprehensive geriatric assessment. We also assessed the time required to complete the scale. Results: The participants’ mean age was 76.8 years (standard deviation [SD], 6.1), and 55 (53.4%) were males. The mean overall frailty index was 0.19 (SD, 0.17). For K-FRAIL-robust, prefrail, and frail patients, the mean frailty indices were 0.09, 0.18, and 0.34, respectively (p for trend < 0.001). A higher degree of impairment in the K-FRAIL scale was associated with worse nutritional status, poor physical performance, functional dependence, and polypharmacy. The number of items with impairment in the K-FRAIL scale was positively associated with the frailty index (B = 3.73, p < 0.001). The K-FRAIL scale could differentiate vulnerability from robustness with a sensitivity of 0.90 and a specificity of 0.33. Of all patients, 75 (72.8%) completed the K-FRAIL scale within < 3 minutes. Conclusions: The K-FRAIL scale is correlated with the frailty index and is a simple tool to screen for frailty in a clinical setting.

Prediction of Mortality and Postoperative Complications using the Hip-Multidimensional Frailty Score in Elderly Patients with Hip Fracture

High mortality and dependent living after hip fracture pose a significant public health concern. Retrospective study was conducted with 481 hip fracture patients (≥65 years of age) undergoing surgery from March 2009 to May 2014. The Hip-MFS was calculated by Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). The primary outcome was the 6-month all-cause mortality rate. The secondary outcomes were 1-year all-cause mortality, postoperative complications and prolonged hospital stay, and institutionalization. Thirty-five patients (7.3%) died within 6 months after surgery (median [interquartile range], 2.9 [1.4–3.9] months). The fully adjusted hazard ratio per 1 point increase in Hip-MFS was 1.458 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.210–1.758) for 6-months mortality and odds ratio were 1.239 (95% CI: 1.115–1.377), 1.156 (95% CI: 1.031–1.296) for postoperative complications and prolonged total hospital stay, respectively. High-risk patients (Hip-MFS > 8) showed higher risk of 6-month mortality (hazard ratio: 3.545, 95% CI: 1.466–8.572) than low-risk patients after adjustment. Hip-MFS successfully predict 6-month mortality, postoperative complications and prolonged hospital stay in elderly hip fracture patients after surgery. Hip-MFS more precisely predict 6-month mortality than age or existing tools (P values of comparison of ROC curve: 0.002, 0.004, and 0.044 for the ASA classification, age and NHFS, respectively).

Associations Between Frailty, Retinal Microvascular Changes, and Cerebral White Matter Abnormalities in Korean Older Adults

all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: Mick, Lin. Acquisition of the data: Foley. Analysis and Interpretation of data: Mick, Foley, Lin. Statistical Analysis: Foley. Drafting of the manuscript: Mick, Foley. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Mick, Foley, Lin. Obtained funding: Lin. Study supervision: Lin. Sponsor’s Role: The sponsors had no role in the design or conduct of the study; collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; or preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.

Association between Frailty and Hypertension Prevalence, Treatment, and Control in the Elderly Korean Population

Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome characterized by increased risk of disability, hospitalization, and mortality. Hypertension (HTN) is one of the most common chronic medical conditions in the elderly. However, there have been few studies regarding the association between frailty and HTN prevalence, treatment, and control rates. We analyzed data of 4,352 older adults (age ≥ 65 years) from the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We constructed a frailty index based on 42 items and classified participants as robust, pre-frail, or frail. Of the subjects, 2,697 (62.0%) had HTN and 926 (21.3%) had pre-HTN. Regarding frailty status, 721 (16.6%), 1,707 (39.2%), and 1,924 (44.2%) individuals were classified as robust, pre-frail and frail, respectively. HTN prevalence was higher in frail elderly (67.8%) than pre-frail (60.8%) or robust elderly (49.2%) (P < 0.001). Among hypertensive patients, frail elderly were more likely to be treated than pre-frail or robust elderly (P < 0.001), but the proportion of patients whose blood pressure was under control ( < 150/90 mmHg) was lower in frail elderly (P = 0.005). Considering the adverse cardiovascular outcomes associated with frailty, more attention should be paid to the blood pressure control of the frail elderly.

Clinical implication of frailty assessment in older patients with atrial fibrillation

BACKGROUND We aimed to show the frailty status in older AF patients, and to find the association between frailty and the scores of CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED. Ultimately, we sought to investigate the impact of frailty on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in older AF patients. METHODS We retrospectively evaluated 365 patients (≥65years old) with AF, who underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) between 2007 and 2014 in a single tertiary hospital. The CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores were calculated based on the electronic medical records and the frailty index was computed from the CGA data. The primary outcomes were cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. RESULTS Frailty status was positively associated with the CHA2DS2-VASc score (P<0.001) and the HAS-BLED score (P=0.01). Patients with high CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores were more likely to be treated with anticoagulants rather than antiplatelet agents. However, frailty status was not associated with antithrombotic therapy. During the follow-up period (median [interquartile range], 22.9 [8.4-42.2] months), 141 patients (38.6%) died, of which 48 were due to cardiovascular events. CHA2DS2-VASc score could predict cardiovascular mortality, but not all-cause mortality. In contrast, frailty status was the independent predictor for both cardiovascular and all-cause mortality after adjusting for possible confounders (hazard ratio for all-cause mortality, 4.549; 95% CI, 2.756-7.509; P<0.001). CONCLUSION Frailty assessment can be used to predict mortality in older AF patients, and provides additional prognostic value, along with the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores.

The double-sidedness of cough in the elderly

Cough is a physiological reflex to protect airways against aspiration, but also it is one of the most frequent problems that lead patients to seek medical care. Chronic cough is more prevalent in the elderly than younger subjects, and more challenging to manage due to frequent comorbidities and possible side effects from drug treatment. Meanwhile, cough reflex does not decrease with natural aging but is often impaired by pathologic conditions like stroke. The impairment in cough reflex may lead to fatal complication like aspiration pneumonia. In this paper, we reviewed epidemiology and clinical considerations for chronic cough in the elderly, and summarized aging-related changes in cough reflex and also possible ways to normalize cough reflex and prevent aspiration pneumonia.

Simple Method of Screening for Frailty in Older Adults Using a Chronometer and Tape Measure in Clinic

Detecting frailty in older adults scheduled for surgery is important to predict the occurrence of adverse outcomes, but because of its complexity, frailty screening is not commonly performed. The objective of the current study was to assess whether frailty can be screened for using automatically measured usual gait speed (UGS) and mid‐arm circumference (MAC) in the outpatient clinic.

Relationship Between Within-Visit Blood Pressure Variability and Skeletal Muscle Mass

Sarcopenia, defined as loss of skeletal muscle mass and function with age, is an important health issue in aging society. We tried to investigate the relationship between blood pressure variability and skeletal muscle mass in nation-wide large population cohort. This cross-sectional study was based on data acquired in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), conducted from 2009 to 2011 by the Korean Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. We included 14,481 participants (age ≥ 20 years, male 6,302) for the analysis who had both blood pressure and whole-body dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan data. As an intra-individual within-visit blood pressure variability index, we calculated standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), and maximum minus minimum BP difference (MMD) of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which was measured 3 times. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) was the sum of lean masses of both arms and legs. We adjusted ASM by body mass index. Significant inverse relationship was observed between blood pressure variability index (SD, CV, and MMD) and adjusted ASM. Blood pressure variability index were significantly higher in the lowest ASM quintile group both in male and female participants (p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, blood pressure variability index were significantly associated with ASM, even after adjusting confounding factors (p<0.001). In conclusion, hemodynamic influence may play an important role in the development of sarcopenia.

MPS 04-08 INTERACTIVE EFFECTS OF AGE AND 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABILITY ON LEFT VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY; DATA FROM THE KOREAN AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE (KOR-ABP) REGISTRY

Objective: Increased short-term blood pressure variability (BPV) is known to be related to target organ damage, independent of the blood pressure (BP) level. However, the effect of age on the relationship between BPV and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) has not been evaluated. We aimed to investigate the interactive effect of age and BPV on LVH. Design and Method: Among the 3,762 participants of the Korean ambulatory BP (KOR-ABP) registry, we assessed the data of 1,606 (42.7%) participants with available echocardiography records. The average real variability (ARV) of systolic and diastolic BP was analyzed as an index for 24-hour BPV. We used left ventricular mass index (LVMI, LV mass divided by body surface area) as an index for LVH (LVH > 95 g/m2 in women and > 115 g/m2 in men). Results: The mean participant age was 57.2 (± 14.2) years, 857 (53.4%) participants were men, and 953 (59.3%) participants had hypertension (BP >140/90 mmHg or taking antihypertensive medications). The LVH group was older, and the 24-hour average BP and BPV index were significantly higher. Furthermore, LVMI was significantly associated with age, as well as the BPV index. There was a significant interaction between age and BPV on the presence of LVH; thus, the older participants with increased BPV showed a higher risk of LVH. Conclusions: In the KOR-ABP registry, age was associated with short-term BPV. Furthermore, a significant interactive effect is present between age and BPV on LVH.