Frailty in Cardiac Surgery-Assessment Tools, Impact on Outcomes, and Optimisation Strategies: A Narrative Review.

Abstract

Background: Advancements in surgical care have made it possible to offer cardiac surgery to an older and frailer patient cohort. Frailty has been recognised as a prognostic indicator that impacts post-operative recovery and patient outcomes. The aim of this study is to identify frailty assessment tools, evaluate the impact of frailty on post-operative outcomes, and explore strategies to optimise care for frail patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed across PubMed, MEDLINE, and SCOPUS to identify articles reporting post-operative outcomes related to frail patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Results: Measurement tools such as gait speed, the Clinical Frailty Scale, Fried frailty phenotype, deficit accumulation frailty index and the Short Physical Performance Battery can be used to assess frailty. Frailty has been reported to increase the risk of post-operative morbidity and mortality. Multiple studies have also reported the association between frailty and an increased length of intensive care unit and hospital stays, as well as an increased risk of post-operative delirium. It is important to perform a comprehensive frailty assessment and implement perioperative optimisation strategies to improve outcomes in this patient population. Pre-operative strategies that can be considered include adequate nutritional support, cardiac prehabilitation, and assessing patients using a multidisciplinary team approach with geriatric involvement. Post-operatively, interventions such as early recognition and treatment of post-operative delirium, nutrition optimisation, early planning for cardiac rehabilitation, and occupational therapy can support patients' recovery and reintegration into daily activities.

Conclusions: The early identification of frail patients during the perioperative period is essential for risk stratification and tailored management strategies to minimise the impact of frailty on outcomes following cardiac surgery.