Adapting the 5-factor modified frailty index for prediction of postprocedural outcome in patients with unruptured aneurysms

Is Supplemented Spetzler-Martin grading Superior? A comparative study in AVM microsurgery risk stratification

The Spetzler-Martin (SM) grading system remains the most widely adopted classification for brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). The Supplemented Spetzler-Martin (Supp-SM) system was developed to improve surgical risk stratification by incorporating patient age, rupture status, and nidus diffuseness. However, data comparing its predictive validity remain limited. This study investigates the predictive relevance of SM and Supp-SM grading for postoperative neurological morbidity following AVM microsurgery at a single tertiary cerebrovascular centre. A retrospective review identified 96 patients who underwent AVM microsurgical resection, with or without preoperative embolisation, between 2015 and 2024. Postoperative morbidity was defined as worsened modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 90 days. Predictive accuracy was analysed using ROC curves, correlation with postoperative mRS scores, and Supp-SM risk threshold. Postoperative morbidity occurred in 9 patients (9.4 %). ROC analysis revealed no significant difference between SM (AUROC 0.717; 95 % CI 0.55-0.88) and Supp-SM (AUROC 0.667; 95 % CI 0.46-0.88) scores, p = 0.3899. However, Supp-SM scores demonstrated a stronger correlation with postoperative mRS changes (Spearman's ρ = 0.269, p = 0.008) than SM grades (Spearman's ρ = 0.144, p = 0.161). Patients with Supp-SM grades < 6 had a 3.2 % morbidity risk, compared with a 20.6 % risk for scores ≥ 6 (p = 0.009). A Supp-SM threshold of 6 demonstrated the highest discriminative accuracy in differentiating high- and low-risk surgical candidates. While no significant predictive difference was found between SM and Supp-SM grading, a Supp-SM score of ≥ 6 was associated with substantially higher morbidity. These findings support the adjunctive use of Supp-SM grading for surgical risk assessment in AVM patients.

The impact of frailty on patient selection and outcomes for open versus endovascular treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms: A propensity-score matched analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Endovascular treatment (EVT) has been demonstrated to have improved post-operative outcomes and fewer complications compared to open microsurgical clipping of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs). Our study analyzes patient selection and outcomes for open versus EVT stratified by frailty measured using the Risk Analysis Index (RAI).

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of patients who underwent open or EVT for an UIA at our institution between March 2017 and June 2022. Propensity-score matching (PSM) was performed using the 1:1 nearest neighbour method to create two groups (open and EVT) matched by demographics and treatment modality. RAI-measured frailty was used to categorize patients into 4 tiers: robust (0-10), pre-frail (11-20), frail (21-30) and severely frail (≥31). Outcomes of interest were length of stay (LOS), functional dependence at discharge and 30-day readmission.

RESULTS

After PSM, 209 patients were stratified into two groups, open and EVT, respectively. Patients who received EVT were older compared to open surgery (mean ± SD: 62.6 ± 11.4 vs. 60.8 ± 10.6, P < 0.05), however, RAI-measured frailty did not differ significantly between the two groups (median (IQR) open: 3 (2-7), vs. EVT: 3 (2-9)), P = 0.090. Among robust and pre-frail patients, EVT was associated with significantly shorter LOS compared to open surgery, median (IQR): 1 (1-2) vs. 3 (2-4) and 1 (1-2), vs. 3 (2-6); P < 0.001, respectively). Neither functional dependence at discharge nor 30-day readmission rates were different after stratification by frailty.

CONCLUSION

Patients in the robust and pre-frail tiers experienced significantly shorter LOS after EVT compared to open surgery. We would like to encourage the use of frailty assessment as a pre-operative risk stratification tool patients undergoing treatment of UIAs.

Development of a predictive grading system for postoperative ischemia following middle cerebral artery aneurysm clipping

The current study presents a single-surgeon experience with microsurgical clipping of middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms and introduces a grading system to predict postoperative ischaemia. A retrospective analysis of 222 patients with 251 MCA aneurysms treated between 2015 and 2024 was conducted. Key factors, including aneurysm size, dome morphology, neck location, calcification, and rupture status, were evaluated to identify predictors of radiological infarction. A scoring model was developed, assigning points for aneurysm neck distance from the internal carotid artery (>20 mm: 1 point; 10-20 mm: 2 points; <10 mm: 3 points), aneurysm size > 7 mm (1 point), calcification (1 point), and rupture status (1 point). The grading system demonstrated a significant risk gradient, with infarction rates of 0 %, 3 %, 11 %, 35 %, and 83 % for grades 1 to 5, respectively (p < 0.0001). Independent predictors of poor outcomes were identified as a short M1 segment (p = 0.002), aneurysm size > 7 mm (p = 0.019), calcification (p < 0.001), and rupture presentation (p = 0.002). Postoperative ischaemia occurred in 7 patients (23 %) with ruptured aneurysms and 18 patients (9 %) with unruptured aneurysms. This grading system provides a practical tool for stratifying risk and guiding treatment decisions. Further multi-centre studies are needed to validate its broader applicability.

Mechanical thrombectomy for treatment of acute ischemic stroke in frail patients: a systematic review of the literature

BACKGROUND

The overall safety and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in frail patients is not well delineated. This systematic review aims to summarize and compare outcomes in frail and non-frail patients who underwent MT for AIS.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was performed using PubMed, Ovid Medline, and Web of Science to identify studies with outcomes-related data for frail patients with MT-treated AIS. The recanalization rate, procedural complications, and clinical outcome at 90-day follow-up were collected.

RESULTS

In the four included studies there were 642 frail patients and 499 non-frail patients. Frail patients had reduced rates of good functional outcomes (29% vs 42%; χ2=22, p<0.01) and increased 90-day mortality (51% vs 25%; χ2=38, p<0.01) compared with non-frail patients.

CONCLUSION

MT for treatment of AIS in frail patients may be associated with worse rates of morbidity and mortality along with reduced efficacy. Given that no studies to date directly compare conservative measures with endovascular management for AIS in frail patients, more studies are required to further evaluate and identify characteristics that may improve outcomes in these patients.

The 5-Factor Modified Frailty Index is a Succinct yet Effective Predictor of Adverse Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Open Surgery for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

BACKGROUND

Frailty is an age-related, clinically recognizable state marked by increased susceptibility. The 5-item Modified Frailty Index (mFI-5) offers a concise assessment of frailty and has demonstrated its efficacy in various surgical fields. While the mFI-5 has been validated for endovascular aneurysm repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), its applicability in open surgical repair (OSR) for AAA remains largely unexplored. This study sought to evaluate the utility of mFI-5 in predicting 30-day outcomes following OSR for AAA.

METHODS

Patients underwent OSR for AAA were identified in American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-targeted database from 2012 to 2021. Patients were stratified into 3 cohorts: mFI-5 score of 0 (control), 1, and 2+. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare 30-day perioperative outcomes between frail patients and controls adjusting preoperative variables with P value <0.1.

RESULTS

Of the 5,249 patients who underwent OSR for AAA, 1,043 were controls, 2,938 had an mFI-5 score of 1 and 1,268 had an mFI-5 score of 2+. When compared to the control group, patients with an mFI-5 = 1 were more likely to have pulmonary events (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.452, P < 0.01), bleeding events (aOR = 1.33, P < 0.01), wound complications (aOR = 2.214, P < 0.01), ischemic colitis (aOR = 1.616, P = 0.01), and unplanned reoperation (aOR = 1.292, P = 0.04). Those with an mFI-5 = 2+ demonstrated higher risks of mortality (aOR = 1.709, P < 0.01), major adverse cardiovascular events (aOR = 1.347, P = 0.04), pulmonary events (aOR = 2.045, P < 0.01), renal dysfunction (aOR = 1.568, P < 0.01), sepsis (aOR = 1.587, P = 0.01), bleeding events (aOR = 1.429, P < 0.01), wound complications (aOR = 2.338, P < 0.01), ischemic colitis (aOR = 1.775, P = 0.01), unplanned reoperation (aOR = 1.445, P = 0.01), operation over 4 hours (aOR = 1.34, P < 0.01), length of stay over 7 days (aOR = 1.324, <0.01), discharge not to home (aOR = 1.547, P < 0.01), 30-day readmission (aOR = 1.657, P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The mFI-5 emerges as a succinct yet effective indicator of frailty for patients undergoing OSR for AAA. Especially, an mFI-5 score of 2+ is linked with increased 30-day mortality and complications. As such, mFI-5 can be used as a valuable screening tool for frailty in patients undergoing OSR for AAA.

The 5-Factor Modified Frailty Index is a Concise and Effective Predictor of 30-Day Adverse Outcomes in Carotid Endarterectomy

INTRODUCTION

Frailty is a clinically identifiable condition characterized by heightened vulnerability. The 5-item Modified Frailty Index provides a concise calculation of frailty that has proven effective in predicting adverse perioperative outcomes across a variety of surgical disciplines. However, there is a paucity of research examining the validity of 11-item Modified Frailty Index (mFI-5) in carotid endarterectomy (CEA). This study aimed to investigate the association between mFI-5 and 30-day outcomes of CEA.

METHODS

Patients underwent CEA were identified from American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program targeted database from 2012 to 2021. Patients with age<18 were excluded. Patients were stratified into four cohorts based on their mFI-5 scores: 0, 1, 2, or 3+. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare 30-day perioperative outcomes adjusting for preoperative variables with P value<0.1.

RESULTS

Compared to controls (mFI-5 = 0), patients mFI-5 = 1 had higher risk of stroke (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.333, P = 0.02), unplanned operation (aOR = 1.38, P < 0.01), and length of stay (LOS) > 7 days (aOR = 0.814, P < 0.01). Patients with mFI-5 = 2 had higher stroke (aOR = 1.719, P < 0.01), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (aOR = 1.315, P = 0.01), sepsis (aOR = 2.243, P = 0.01), discharge not to home (aOR = 1.200, P < 0.01), 30-day readmission (aOR = 1.405, P < 0.01). Compared with controls, patients with mFI-5≥3 had higher mortality (aOR = 1.997 P = 0.02), MACE (aOR = 1.445, P = 0.03), cardiac complications (aOR = 1.901, P < 0.01), pulmonary events (aOR = 2.196, P < 0.01), sepsis (aOR = 3.65, P < 0.01), restenosis (aOR = 2.606, P = 0.02), unplanned operation (aOR = 1.69, P < 0.01), LOS>7 days (aOR = 1.425, P < 0.01), discharge not to home (aOR = 2.127, P < 0.01), and 30-day readmission (aOR = 2.427, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The mFI-5 is associated with 30-day mortality and complications including stroke, MACE, cardiac complications, pulmonary complications, sepsis, and restenosis. Additionally, elevated mFI-5 scores correlate with an increased likelihood of unplanned operations, extended LOS, discharge to facilities other than home, and 30-day readmissions, all of which could negatively impact long-term prognosis. Therefore, mFI-5 can serve as a concise yet effective metric of frailty in patients undergoing CEA.

Preoperative Frailty Assessment Predicts Postoperative Mortality, Delirium and Pneumonia in Elderly Lung Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive value of the 5-factor modified frailty index (mFI-5) for postoperative mortality, delirium and pneumonia in patients over 65 years of age undergoing elective lung cancer surgery.

METHODS

Data were collected from a single-center retrospective cohort study conducted in a general tertiary hospital from January 2017 to August 2019. In total, the study included 1372 elderly patients aged over 65 who underwent elective lung cancer surgery. They were divided into frail group (mFI-5, 2-5), prefrail group (mFI-5, 1) and robust group (mFI-5, 0) on the basis of mFI-5 classification. The primary outcome was postoperative 1-year all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were postoperative pneumonia and postoperative delirium.

RESULTS

Frailty group had the highest incidence of postoperative delirium (frailty 31.2% versus prefrailty 1.6% versus robust 1.5%, p < 0.001), postoperative pneumonia (frailty 23.5% versus prefrailty 7.2% versus robust 7.7%, p < 0.001), and postoperative 1-year mortality (frailty 7.0% versus prefrailty 2.2% versus robust 1.9%. p < 0.001). Frail patients have significantly longer length of hospitalization than those in the robust group and prefrail patients (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed a clear link between frailty and increased risk of postoperative delirium (aOR 2.775, 95% CI 1.776-5.417, p < 0.001), postoperative pneumonia (aOR 3.291, 95% CI 2.169-4.993, p < 0.001) and postoperative 1-year mortality (aOR 3.364, 95% CI, 1.516-7.464, p = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

mFI-5 has potential clinical utility in predicting postoperative death, delirium and pneumonia incidence in elderly patients undergoing radical lung cancer surgery. Frailty screening of patients (mFI-5) may provide benefits in risk stratification, targeted intervention efforts, and assist physicians in clinical decision-making.

Microsurgical clipping and endovascular management of unruptured anterior circulation aneurysms: how age, frailty, and comorbidity indexes influence outcomes

OBJECTIVE

Frailty is one of the important factors in predicting the outcomes of surgery. Many surgical specialties have adopted a frailty assessment in the preoperative period for prognostication; however, there are limited data on the effects of frailty on the outcomes of cerebral aneurysms. The object of this study was to find the effect of frailty on the surgical outcomes of anterior circulation unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) and compare the frailty index with other comorbidity indexes.

METHODS

A retrospective study was performed utilizing the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database (2016-2018). The Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) was used to assess frailty. On the basis of the HFRS, the whole cohort was divided into low-risk (0-5), intermediate-risk (> 5 to 15), and high-risk (> 15) frailty groups. The analyzed outcomes were nonhome discharge, complication rate, extended length of stay, and in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

In total, 37,685 patients were included in the analysis, 5820 of whom had undergone open surgical clipping and 31,865 of whom had undergone endovascular management. Mean age was higher in the high-risk frailty group than in the low-risk group for both clipping (63 vs 55.4 years) and coiling (64.6 vs 57.9 years). The complication rate for open surgical clipping in the high-risk frailty group was 56.1% compared to 0.8% in the low-risk group. Similarly, for endovascular management, the complication rate was 60.6% in the high-risk group compared to 0.3% in the low-risk group. Nonhome discharges were more common in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group for both open clipping (87.8% vs 19.7%) and endovascular management (73.1% vs 4.4%). Mean hospital charges for clipping were $341,379 in the high-risk group compared to $116,892 in the low-risk group. Mean hospital charges for coiling were $392,861 in the high-risk frailty group and $125,336 in the low-risk group. Extended length of stay occurred more frequently in the high-risk frailty group than in the low-risk group for both clipping (82.9% vs 10.7%) and coiling (94.2% vs 12.7%). Frailty had higher area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values than those for other comorbidity indexes and age in predicting outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty affects surgical outcomes significantly and outperforms age and other comorbidity indexes in predicting outcome. It is imperative to include frailty assessment in preoperative planning.

The 5-Factor Modified Frailty Index as a More Useful Associated Factor Than Chronological Age After Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysm Surgery: A Nationwide Registry Study

BACKGROUND

Although chronological age is associated with mortality and morbidity after surgery for unruptured cerebral aneurysms (UCAs), there is little evidence regarding an association between the simplified 5-factor modified frailty index (mFI-5) and postoperative outcomes based on age group.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association of the mFI-5 score with worse outcomes, mortality, and complications in patients after surgery for UCA by chronological age groups using a Japanese national database.

METHODS

This study included 32 902 patients with UCAs enrolled in a Japanese national database between 2011 and 2015. Age group (younger than 65 years, 65-74 years, and 75 years or older), sex, UCA location, treatment, medications, Barthel Index (BI), medical history, mFI-5 score, and in-hospital mortality and complications were evaluated. We identified risk factors for worsening BI score, in-hospital mortality, and overall postoperative complications in each age group.

RESULTS

In total, 14 465 patients were enrolled in this study. Multivariable analysis showed that elderly groups and patients with an mFI-5 score ≥2 items were associated with worsening BI scores (odds ratio 1.95; 95% CI 1.52-2.51) and in-hospital complications (odds ratio 1.79; CI 1.49-2.15), despite having no association with in-hospital mortality. Multivariable analysis by age groups showed that the mFI-5 score ≥2 items was associated with in-hospital complications in all age groups, unlike chronological age in patients younger than 74 years.

CONCLUSION

The mFI-5 score was a more useful associated factor of in-hospital complications than chronological age in patients younger than 74 years undergoing surgery for UCA.