Frailty in the Cardiac Surgical Patient: Comparison of Frailty Tools and Associated Outcomes

Henry and colleagues evaluated frailty in patients undergoing cardiac surgery using two frailty indices, the simplified Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) and the complex Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), comparing postsurgical outcomes between frail and nonfrail patients. Agreement between the two indices was poor. Of 167 total patients, the SOF identified 15 as frail while the CHS identified 47. SOF frail patients were in poorer health, had higher risk scores, and greater proportions reported lack of energy and unintentional weight loss. Additionally, SOF frail patients were more likely to experience prolonged ventilation, pneumonia, prolonged time in the intensive care unit, and readmission within 30 days.