Elizabeth L George1,2,3, Daniel E Hall4,5,6, Ada Youk5,7, Rui Chen3, Aditi Kashikar1,3, Amber W Trickey3, Patrick R Varley4, Paula K Shireman8,9, Myrick C Shinall10, Nader N Massarweh11,12, Jason Johanning13,14, Shipra Arya1,3,15. 1. Division of Vascular Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California. 2. Center for Innovation to Implementation, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California. 3. Stanford-Surgery Policy Improvement Research & Education Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California. 4. Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 5. Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 6. Wolff Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 7. Department of Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 8. Department of Surgery, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio. 9. South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio. 10. Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee. 11. Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas. 12. Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. 13. Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha. 14. Nebraska Western Iowa Veterans Affairs Health System, Omaha. 15. Surgical Service Line, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, California.
Abstract
Importance: Frailty is an important risk factor for postoperative mortality. Whether the association between frailty and mortality is consistent across all surgical specialties, especially those predominantly performing lower stress procedures, remains unknown. Objective: To examine the association between frailty and postoperative mortality across surgical specialties. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cohort study was conducted across 9 noncardiac specialties in hospitals participating in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) and Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2014, using multivariable logistic regression to evaluate the association between frailty and postoperative mortality. Data analysis was conducted from September 15, 2019, to April 30, 2020. Patients 18 years or older undergoing noncardiac procedures were included. Exposures: Risk Analysis Index measuring preoperative frailty categorized patients as robust (Risk Analysis Index ≤20), normal (21-29), frail (30-39), or very frail (≥40). Operative Stress Score (OSS) categorized procedures as low (1-2), moderate (3), and high (4-5) stress. Specialties were categorized by case-mix as predominantly low intensity (>75% OSS 1-2), moderate intensity (50%-75%), or high intensity (<50%). Main Outcomes and Measures: Thirty-day (both measures) and 180-day (VASQIP only) postoperative mortality. Results: Of the patients evaluated in NSQIP (n = 2 339 031), 1 309 795 were women (56.0%) and mean (SD) age was 56.49 (16.4) years. Of the patients evaluated in VASQIP (n = 426 578), 395 761 (92.78%) were men and mean (SD) age was 61.1 (12.9) years. Overall, 30-day mortality was 1.2% in NSQIP and 1.0% in VASQIP, and 180-day mortality in VASQIP was 3.4%. Frailty and OSS distributions differed substantially across the 9 specialties. Patterns of 30-day mortality for frail and very frail patients were similar in NSQIP and VASQIP for low-, moderate-, and high-intensity specialties. Frailty was a consistent, independent risk factor for 30- and 180-day mortality across all specialties. For example, in NSQIP, for plastic surgery, a low-intensity specialty, the odds of 30-day mortality in very frail (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 27.99; 95% CI, 14.67-53.39) and frail (aOR, 5.1; 95% CI, 3.03-8.58) patients were statistically significantly higher than for normal patients. This was also true in neurosurgery, a moderate-intensity specialty, for very frail (aOR, 9.8; 95% CI, 7.68-12.50) and frail (aOR, 4.18; 95% CI, 3.58-4.89) patients and in vascular surgery, a high-intensity specialty, for very frail (aOR, 10.85; 95% CI, 9.83-11.96) and frail (aOR, 3.42; 95% CI, 3.19-3.67) patients. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, frailty was associated with postoperative mortality across all noncardiac surgical specialties regardless of case-mix. Preoperative frailty assessment could be implemented across all specialties to facilitate risk stratification and shared decision-making.
Importance: Frailty is an important risk factor for postoperative mortality. Whether the association between frailty and mortality is consistent across all surgical specialties, especially those predominantly performing lower stress procedures, remains unknown. Objective: To examine the association between frailty and postoperative mortality across surgical specialties. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cohort study was conducted across 9 noncardiac specialties in hospitals participating in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) and Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2014, using multivariable logistic regression to evaluate the association between frailty and postoperative mortality. Data analysis was conducted from September 15, 2019, to April 30, 2020. Patients 18 years or older undergoing noncardiac procedures were included. Exposures: Risk Analysis Index measuring preoperative frailty categorized patients as robust (Risk Analysis Index ≤20), normal (21-29), frail (30-39), or very frail (≥40). Operative Stress Score (OSS) categorized procedures as low (1-2), moderate (3), and high (4-5) stress. Specialties were categorized by case-mix as predominantly low intensity (>75% OSS 1-2), moderate intensity (50%-75%), or high intensity (<50%). Main Outcomes and Measures: Thirty-day (both measures) and 180-day (VASQIP only) postoperative mortality. Results: Of the patients evaluated in NSQIP (n = 2 339 031), 1 309 795 were women (56.0%) and mean (SD) age was 56.49 (16.4) years. Of the patients evaluated in VASQIP (n = 426 578), 395 761 (92.78%) were men and mean (SD) age was 61.1 (12.9) years. Overall, 30-day mortality was 1.2% in NSQIP and 1.0% in VASQIP, and 180-day mortality in VASQIP was 3.4%. Frailty and OSS distributions differed substantially across the 9 specialties. Patterns of 30-day mortality for frail and very frail patients were similar in NSQIP and VASQIP for low-, moderate-, and high-intensity specialties. Frailty was a consistent, independent risk factor for 30- and 180-day mortality across all specialties. For example, in NSQIP, for plastic surgery, a low-intensity specialty, the odds of 30-day mortality in very frail (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 27.99; 95% CI, 14.67-53.39) and frail (aOR, 5.1; 95% CI, 3.03-8.58) patients were statistically significantly higher than for normal patients. This was also true in neurosurgery, a moderate-intensity specialty, for very frail (aOR, 9.8; 95% CI, 7.68-12.50) and frail (aOR, 4.18; 95% CI, 3.58-4.89) patients and in vascular surgery, a high-intensity specialty, for very frail (aOR, 10.85; 95% CI, 9.83-11.96) and frail (aOR, 3.42; 95% CI, 3.19-3.67) patients. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, frailty was associated with postoperative mortality across all noncardiac surgical specialties regardless of case-mix. Preoperative frailty assessment could be implemented across all specialties to facilitate risk stratification and shared decision-making.
Authors: Elizabeth L George; Nader N Massarweh; Ada Youk; Katherine M Reitz; Myrick C Shinall; Rui Chen; Amber W Trickey; Patrick R Varley; Jason Johanning; Paula K Shireman; Shipra Arya; Daniel E Hall Journal: JAMA Surg Date: 2022-03-01 Impact factor: 14.766
Authors: Katherine M Reitz; Daniel E Hall; Myrick C Shinall; Paula K Shireman; Jonathan C Silverstein Journal: J Surg Res Date: 2021-08-28 Impact factor: 2.192
Authors: Sidney T Le; Vincent X Liu; Patricia Kipnis; Jie Zhang; Peter D Peng; Elizabeth M Cespedes Feliciano Journal: JAMA Surg Date: 2022-05-11 Impact factor: 16.681
Authors: Katherine M Reitz; Patrick R Varley; Nathan L Liang; Ada Youk; Elizabeth L George; Myrick C Shinall; Paula K Shireman; Shipra Arya; Edith Tzeng; Daniel E Hall Journal: Ann Surg Date: 2021-10-01 Impact factor: 13.787
Authors: Qi Yan; Jeongsoo Kim; Daniel E Hall; Myrick C Shinall; Katherine Moll Reitz; Karyn B Stitzenberg; Lillian S Kao; Elizabeth L George; Ada Youk; Chen-Pin Wang; Jonathan C Silverstein; Elmer V Bernstam; Paula K Shireman Journal: Ann Surg Date: 2021-06-25 Impact factor: 12.969