Frailty and perioperative patient-reported disability in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a pilot study

Background: Preoperative frailty may predispose patients to poorer outcomes in cardiac surgery; however, there are limited data concerning how preoperative frailty predicts patient-centred outcomes, such as patient-reported disability. Our objective was to evaluate the association between preoperative frailty and postoperative disability.

Methods: Patients were prospectively evaluated using the Comprehensive Assessment of Frailty score, separating patients into frail and non-frail cohorts. Disability levels were quantified using the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.0 in percentage of the maximum disability score, with disability defined as a value ≥25%.

Results: Frail patients had increased median [inter-quartile range] disability scores of 31 [16-45]% preoperatively, 29 [9-54]% at 1 month, and 15 [3-31]% at 3 months postoperatively, compared with disability scores in non-frail patients of 10 [5-17]%, 17 [6-29]%, and 2.1 [0-12.0]%, respectively. Preoperative frailty was associated with a reduced likelihood of patients being free of disability and alive at 3 months; adjusted odds ratio 0.51 (for age, European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II, and WHODAS 2.0: 12-Part Questionnaire score); P=0.045. The trajectory of disability scores, assessed in percentage change from the preoperative baseline, showed non-frail patients had increased disability burden at 1 month, whereas frail patients had reduced disability burden (+4.2% vs -2.1%; P=0.04). Although the disability burden decreased for both groups at 3 months, this was most marked for frail patients (-6.3% vs -10.4%; P=0.02).

Conclusions: Disability burden in frail patients improves continuously postoperatively, whereas in non-frail patients, it worsens at 1 month before improving at 3 months postoperatively. This positive trajectory of patient-centred outcomes in frail patients should be considered in preoperative decision-making.