Association between frailty and clinical post-operative outcomes in patients following hip arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Getting fit for hip and knee replacement: The Fit-Joints multimodal intervention for frail patients with osteoarthritis - a pilot randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Older adults with frailty have high risk for poor postoperative outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the feasibility of a multimodal prehabilitation program in older adults with frailty awaiting hip or knee replacement.

DESIGN

Parallel two-arm randomized controlled pilot trial.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Community-dwelling older adults with frailty awaiting joint replacement aged ≥60 years recruited from the Musculoskeletal Central Intake and Assessment Centre (MSK CIAC), Ontario.

INTERVENTION

Exercise, protein and vitamin D supplements, and medication review.

MEASUREMENT

Feasibility was assessed based on predefined progression criteria for recruitment, retention, data completion and adherence to intervention components. Clinical outcomes including Oxford Knee and Hip Scores, frailty index, Short Physical Performance Battery and health-related quality of life were collected at baseline, 1-week preoperative, 6-weeks and 6-months postoperative and were evaluated using generalized linear mixed models for repeated measures.

RESULTS

A total of 69 participants were enrolled. Recruitment rate was 35 %. Participants' mean age was 74 (standard deviation (SD): 7.5); 51 % were prefrail and 36 % were frail. Participant retention was 81 %, and data completion was ≥80 %. Mean adherence to strength exercises was 4 days (95 % confidence interval (CI): 3-5 days/week), balance 3 days (95 % CI: 2-4 days/week), and flexibility 3 days (95 % CI: 3-4 days/week). Adherence to vitamin D intake was 82 % (95 % CI: 73-92 %), and medication review consultation completion was 86 % (95 % CI: 68-95 %). These outcomes met the target values for feasibility success. The Oxford Knee Score at 6-months postoperative 8.78 (95 % CI: 0.40-17.16) showed a clinically meaningful and statistically significant difference between treatment groups. There were also indications of clinically relevant changes for frailty and quality of life post-surgery.

CONCLUSION

This trial provides strong evidence of feasibility and indications of improvements in postoperative clinical outcomes. Challenges to implementation and adherence were identified that can inform modifications to study design for future trials.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02885337. Registered August 31, 2016. https://classic.

CLINICALTRIALS

gov/ct2/show/NCT02885337.

Influence of parkinson's disease on complications and revisions in total hip and knee arthroplasty: insights from a matched pair analysis

PURPOSE

The outcome of elective total joint arthroplasty (TJA) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) is controversial due to the concomitant risk profile. This study investigated postoperative complications and revision rates following total hip (THA) and knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients with PD.

METHODS

Ninety-six patients with PD undergoing THA or TKA were matched 1:1 with non-PD patients using propensity score matching for age, sex and comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity index, CCI). Rates of revisions, medical and surgical complications were compared. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were calculated.

RESULTS

PD patients exhibited higher rates of revision-surgeries within 90 days (13.5% vs. 5.2%; p = 0.048), medical complications (68.8% vs. 43.8%; p < 0.001) and surgical complications (40.6% vs. 21.9%; p = 0.005). Multivariate regression analysis confirmed PD as a significant risk factor for complications and long-term revision-surgeries.

CONCLUSION

PD increases the risk of adverse outcomes following THA and TKA. Improvements in pre-operative planning and post-operative care are critical to the improvement of outcomes in this vulnerable population.

Frailty Influence on Postoperative Surgical Site Infections After Surgery for Degenerative Spine Disease and Adult Spine Deformity. Can a Frailty Index be a Valuable Summary Risk Indicator? A Systematic Review and Metanalysis of the Current Literature

STUDY DESIGN

Metanalysis.

OBJECTIVE

Surgical site infections (SSI) is one of the commonest postoperative adverse events after spine surgery. Frailty has been described as a valuable summary risk indicator for SSI in spine surgery. The aim of this metanalysis is to evaluate the influence of frailty on postoperative SSI in this cohort and provide hints on which index can predict the risk of SSI.

METHODS

Papers describing the postoperative SSI rate in adult degenerative spine disease or adult spine deformity patients with varying degrees of frailty were included in the analysis. The SSI rate in different grades of frailty was considered for outcome measure. Meta-analysis was performed on studies in whom data regarding patients with different levels of frailty and occurrence of postoperative SSI could be pooled. P < .05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

16 studies were included. The frailty prevalence measured using mFI-11 ranged from 3% to 17.9%, these values were inferior to those measured with mFI-5. Significant difference was found between frail and non-frail patients in postoperative SSI rate at metanalysis (z = 5.9547, P < .0001 for mFI-5 and z = 3.8334, P = .0001 for mFI-11).

CONCLUSION

This is the first meta-analysis to specifically investigate the impact of frailty, on occurrence of SSI. We found a relevant statistical difference between frail and non-frail patients in SSI occurrence rate. This is a relevant finding, as the ageing of population increases alongside with spine surgery procedures, a better understanding of risk factors may advance our ability to treat patients while minimizing the occurrence of SSI.

Preoperative frailty in oesophageal cancer: postoperative outcomes and overall survival - meta-analysis and systematic review

PURPOSE

To assess the prevalence of preoperative frailty in patients with oesophageal cancer and its impact on postoperative outcomes and overall survival.

METHODS

A comprehensive computer-based search of the CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and CINAHL databases was conducted for articles related to preoperative frailty in patients with oesophageal cancer. The search was carried out from the time of the construction of the database to 20 April 2024. Data related to the prevalence of preoperative frailty in patients with oesophageal cancer and their postoperative outcomes and overall survival were extracted.

RESULTS

A total of 13 studies were included, including 12 cohort studies and 1 cross-sectional study involving 53 485 patients. Meta-analysis showed that the prevalence of preoperative frailty in patients with oesophageal cancer was 29.6% (95% CI 24.5% to 34.8%). Preoperative frailty increased the risk of postoperative mortality (HR 1.80, 95% CI 1.51 to 2.14, p<0.001), complications (HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.49, p<0.001) and 30-day readmission (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.31, p<0.001), in patients with oesophageal cancer, but had no significant effect on overall survival (HR 1.28, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.68, p=0.08).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of preoperative frailty is high in patients with oesophageal cancer, and preoperative frailty is strongly associated with increased adverse outcomes after surgery. Healthcare providers should identify preoperative frailty in patients with oesophageal cancer at an early stage and develop targeted intervention strategies to reduce the incidence of postoperative adverse outcomes.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42024541051.

Frailty and the incidence of surgical site infection after total hip or knee arthroplasty: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Surgical site infection (SSI) remains a critical postoperative complication after total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA). Frailty, a condition characterized by decreased physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to stressors, may influence the risk of SSI in these patients. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the association between frailty and the incidence of SSI following THA or TKA.

METHODS

A systematic search of databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Wanfang, and CNKI was conducted to identify relevant studies. Data were extracted and pooled using a random-effects model to calculate the overall risk ratio (RR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

A total of ten studies comprising 1,036,787 patients met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis revealed that frail patients undergoing THA or TKA had a significantly higher risk of developing SSI compared to non-frail patients (RR = 1.64, 95 % CI: 1.39-1.93, p < 0.001, I2 = 66 %). Subgroup analyses indicated that the type of arthroplasty (hip vs. knee) and the method of frailty assessment did not significantly alter the association. Further subgroup analysis suggested that frailty was significantly associated with a higher incidence of deep SSI including joint infection (RR = 1.77, 95 % CI: 1.27-1.48, p < 0.001), but not the incidence of superficial SSI (RR = 1.57, 95 % CI: 0.45-5.42, p = 0.48). The association between frailty and SSI remains in subgroup of multivariate studies only (RR = 1.56, 95 % CI: 1.34 to 1.80, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty is a potential predictor of SSI following TKA/THA.

Preoperative frailty and postoperative complications after non-cardiac surgery: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Many tools have been used to assess frailty in the perioperative setting. However, no single scale has been shown to be the most effective in predicting postoperative complications. We evaluated the relationship between several frailty scales and the occurrence of complications following different non-cardiac surgeries.

METHODS

This systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023473401). The search strategy included PubMed, Google Scholar, and Embase, covering manuscripts published from January 2000 to July 2023. We included prospective and retrospective studies that evaluated frailty using specific scales and tracked patients postoperatively. Studies on cardiac, neurosurgical, and thoracic surgery were excluded because of the impact of underlying diseases on patients' functional status. Narrative reviews, conference abstracts, and articles lacking a comprehensive definition of frailty were excluded.

RESULTS

Of the 2204 articles identified, 145 were included in the review: 7 on non-cardiac surgery, 36 on general and digestive surgery, 19 on urology, 22 on vascular surgery, 36 on spinal surgery, and 25 on orthopedic/trauma surgery. The reviewed manuscripts confirmed that various frailty scales had been used to predict postoperative complications, mortality, and hospital stay across these surgical disciplines.

CONCLUSION

Despite differences among surgical populations, preoperative frailty assessment consistently predicts postoperative outcomes in non-cardiac surgeries.

Six-Item Modified Frailty Index independently predicts complications following total shoulder arthroplasty

Background

In the realm of orthopedic surgery, frailty has been associated with higher rates of complications following total hip and total knee arthroplasties. Among various measures of frailty, the Six-Item Modified Frailty Index (MF-6) has recently gained popularity as a predictor for postoperative complications. The purpose of this study was to investigate MF-6 as a predictor for early postoperative complications in the elderly patient population following total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA).

Methods

The authors queried the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database for all patients who underwent TSA between 2015 and 2020. Patient demographics and comorbidities were compared between cohorts using bivariate logistic regression analysis. Multivariate logistic regression, adjusted for all significantly associated patient demographics and comorbidities, was used to identify associations between the MF-6 score and postoperative complications.

Results

Of total, 9228 patients were included in this study: 8764 (95.0%) had MF-6 <3, and 464 (5.0%) patients had MF-6 ≥3. Multivariate analysis found MF-6 ≥3 to be independently associated with higher rates of urinary tract infection (odds ratio [OR]: 2.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49-5.23; P = .001), blood transfusion (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.01-2.32; P = .045), readmission (OR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.06-2.35; P = .024), and non-home discharge (OR: 2.60, 95% CI: 2.08-3.25; P < .001).

Conclusion

A high MF-6 score (≥3) in patients aged 65 and older is independently associated with higher rates of urinary tract infection, blood transfusion, readmission, and non-home discharge following TSA. The MF-6 score can be easily calculated preoperatively and may allow for better preoperative risk stratification.