Prevalence and prognosis impact of frailty among older adults in cardiac intensive care units

Structured abstract in English with keywords Background Whether frailty, defined as a biological syndrome that reflects a state of decreased physiological reserve and vulnerability to stressors, may impact the outcomes of elderly patients admitted to a cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) remains unclear. We aimed to determine the prevalence of frailty and its impact on mortality in patients aged ≥ 80 years admitted to CICU. Methods This prospective single-centre observational study was conducted among patients aged 80 or older admitted to CICU in a tertiary center. Frailty was assessed using the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) which provides a score ranging from 0 (not frail) to 17 (very frail). Population was divided into 3 classes: [0-3] EFS-score, [4-6] EFS-score, and [>7] EFS-score. Results One hundred and ninety nine patients were included, median follow-up duration was 365 days. The mean age was 84.8 years. 50 patients (25.1%) died during the follow-up period. 45 (22.6%), 60 (30.2%) and 94 patients (47.2%) had an EFS score of [0-3], [4-6] and [≥ 7], respectively. All-cause mortality rate was 4.4%, 27.1% and 37.2% in the [0-3], [4-6] and [ ≥ 7] EFS-score group, respectively (p ≥ 7] EFS-score group. Conclusion Frailty is highly prevalent in older adults admitted to population hospitalized in CICU and represents a strong prognostic factor for one-year all-cause mortality.