Epidemiology and Outcomes for Frail Patients in a National Hernia Registry

Abstract Background The favourable safety profile and the increasing confidence with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) might have boosted their prescription in frail patients with short life expectancies, who usually are not treated with standard chemotherapy. Methods The present analysis aims to describe clinicians’ attitudes towards ICIs administration during late stages of life within a multicenter cohort of advanced cancer patients treated with single agent PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors in Italy. Results Overall, 1149 patients with advanced cancer who received single agent PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors were screened. The final study population consisted of 567 deceased patients. 166 patients (29.3%) had received ICIs within 30 days of death; among them there was a significantly higher proportion of patients with ECOG-PS ≥ 2 (28.3% vs 11.5%, p < 0.0001) and with a higher burden of disease (69.3% vs 59.4%, p = 0.0266). In total, 35 patients (6.2%) started ICIs within 30 days of death; among them there was a higher proportion of patients with ECOG-PS ≥ 2 (45.7% vs 14.5%, p < 0.0001) and with a higher burden of disease (82.9% vs 60.9%, p = 0.0266). Primary tumors were significantly different across subgroups (p = 0.0172), with a higher prevalence of NSCLC patients (80% vs 60.9%) among those who started ICIs within 30 days of death. Lastly, 123 patients (21.7%) started ICIs within 3 months of death. Similarly, within this subgroup there was a higher proportion of patients with ECOG-PS ≥ 2 (29.3% vs 12.8%, p < 0.0001), with a higher burden of disease (74.0% vs 59.0%, p = 0.0025) and with NSCLC (74.0% vs 58.8%, p = 0.0236). Conclusion Our results confirmed a trend toward an increasing ICIs prescription in frail patients, during the late stages of life. Caution should be exercised when evaluating an ICI treatment for patients with a poor PS and a high burden of disease.

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An invasive strategy is associated with improved short- and long-term outcomes in acute myocardial infarction independently of frailty status and GRACE score: a nationwide analysis of 12144 episodes

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/ehjci/ehaa946.3223 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

G Pessoa Amorim ◽

D Santos-Ferreira ◽

A Azul Freitas ◽

H Santos ◽

A Belo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Myocardial Infarction ◽

Wald Test ◽

Invasive Procedures ◽

Frailty Status ◽

Frail Patients ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

St Elevation ◽

Grace Score

Abstract Introduction Frailty is common among patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (MI), who have conflicting risks regarding benefits and harms of invasive procedures. Purpose To assess the clinical management and prognostic impact of invasive procedures in frail MI patients in a real-world scenario. Methods We analysed 5422 episodes of ST-elevation MI (STEMI) and 6692 of Non-ST-elevation MI (NSTEMI) recorded from 2010–2019 in a nationwide registry. A validated deficit-accumulation model was used to create a frailty index (FI), comprising 22 features [BMI >25kg/m2, myocardial infarction, angina, heart failure, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), valvular disease, bleeding, pacemaker/implantable cardioverter defibrillator, chronic kidney disease (creatinine >2.0mg/dL), dialysis/renal transplant, stroke/transient ischaemic attack, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, smoking, peripheral vascular disease, dementia, chronic lung disease, malignancy, polymedication (>3 cardiovascular drugs), admission haemoglobin <10g/dL; not including age]. Episodes with missing data on any FI parameter were not included. Frailty was initially defined as FI>0.25 (i.e. ≥6 features). Results Overall, 511 (9.4%) STEMI and 1763 (26.4%) NSTEMI patients were considered frail. Angiography, PCI and CABG were less frequently performed in frail patients (p<0.001). Delayed angiography (>72h) was more common among NSTEMI frail patients (p<0.001), and radial access was less commonly used overall (p<0.001). Guideline-recommended in-hospital medical therapy, including aspirin (NSTEMI), dual-antiplatelet therapy (STEMI/NSTEMI), heparin/heparin-related agents (NSTEMI), beta-blockers (STEMI) and ACEIs/ARBs (STEMI), was less commonly used in frail patients; discharge medical therapy exhibited similar patterns. Frail patients had longer hospital stay and increased in-hospital all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality, as well as 1-year all-cause and CV hospitalization and all-cause mortality (p<0.001). Using receiver-operator-characteristics curve analysis, FI cutoffs of 0.11 (STEMI) and 0.20 (NSTEMI) yielded the best accuracy to predict 1-year all-cause mortality (area under the curve: 0.629 and 0.702 respectively, p<0.001) – these cutoffs were subsequently used to define frailty. Although frailty attenuated in-hospital risk reductions from angiography (STEMI/NSTEMI) and PCI (NSTEMI only) (Wald test p<0.05), their 1-year prognostic benefit remained unaffected (Wald test p>0.05). Angiography and PCI were associated with improved in-hospital and 1-year outcomes, independently of frailty status or GRACE score (p<0.001). Conclusion Frail MI patients are less commonly offered standard therapy; however, angiography and PCI were associated with short- and long-term prognostic benefits regardless of frailty status or GRACE score. Increased adherence to current recommendations might improve post-MI outcomes in frail patients. Invasive strategy and 1-year outcomes Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Other. Main funding source(s): Portuguese Society of Cardiology

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Catheter ablation can improve survival with the reduction of heart failure in frail patients with atrial fibrillation

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/ehjci/ehaa946.0557 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

B Joung ◽

P.S Yang ◽

J.H Sung ◽

E Jang ◽

H.T Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Myocardial Infarction ◽

Heart Failure ◽

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Acute Myocardial Infarction ◽

Catheter Ablation ◽

Real World ◽

Background Characteristics ◽

Risk Of Death ◽

Frail Patients ◽

Korean National Health Insurance

Abstract Background It is unclear whether catheter ablation is beneficial in frail patients with AF. Purpose This study aimed to evaluate whether catheter ablation reduces death and other outcomes in real-world frail patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods Out of 801,710 patients with AF in the Korean National Health Insurance Service database from 2006 to 2015, 1,411 frail patients underwent AF ablations. The Hospital Frailty Risk Score were calculated retrospectively. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to categorize ablation and non-ablation frail groups. Results After IPTW, the two cohorts had similar background characteristics. During a median follow-up of 4.7 years (interquartile range: 2.2–7.8), the risk of death in frail patients with ablations was reduced by 65% compared to frail patients without ablations (2.0 and 6.4 per 100 person-years, respectively; hazard ratio [HR] 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.25–0.50; P<0.001). Ablations were related with a lower incidence and risk of heart failure admission (1.8 and 3.1 per 100 person-years, respectively; HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.44–0.98; P=0.042) and acute myocardial infarction (0.2 and 0.6 per 100 person-years, respectively; HR 0.30, 95% CI 0.15–0.62; P=0.001). However, the risk of stroke did not change after ablation. Conclussion Ablation may be associated with lower incidences of death, heart failure, and acute myocardial infarction in real-world frail patients with AF, supporting the role of AF ablation in these patients. The effect of frailty risk on the outcome of ablation should be evaluated in further studies. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

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Diabetes and Frail Older Patients: Glycemic Control and Prescription Profile in Real Life

Pharmacy ◽

10.3390/pharmacy9030115 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 115

Author(s):

Anne-Sophie Mangé ◽

Arnaud Pagès ◽

Sandrine Sourdet ◽

Philippe Cestac ◽

Cécile McCambridge

Keyword(s):

Glycemic Control ◽

Older Patients ◽

Diabetes Management ◽

Real Life ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Glucose Lowering ◽

Frailty Status ◽

Frail Patients ◽

Patients With Diabetes ◽

Hba1c Target

(1) Background: The latest recommendations for diabetes management adapt the objectives of glycemic control to the frailty profile in older patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the proportion of older patients with diabetes whose treatment deviates from the recommendations. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in older adults with known diabetes who underwent an outpatient frailty assessment in 2016. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) target is between 6% and 7% for nonfrail patients and between 7% and 8% for frail patients. Frailty was evaluated using the Fried criteria. Prescriptions of glucose-lowering drugs were analyzed based on explicit and implicit criteria. (3) Results: Of 110 people with diabetes with an average age of 81.7 years, 67.3% were frail. They had a mean HbA1c of 7.11%. Of these patients, 60.9% had at least one drug therapy problem in their diabetes management and 40.9% were potentially overtreated. The HbA1c distribution in relation to the targets varied depending on frailty status (p < 0.002), with overly strict control in frail patients (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: Glycemic control does not seem to be routinely adjusted to the health of frail patients. Several factors can lead to overtreatment of these patients.

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Effect of frailty on treatment, hospitalisation and death in patients with chronic heart failure

Clinical Research in Cardiology ◽

10.1007/s00392-020-01792-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

S. Sze ◽

P. Pellicori ◽

J. Zhang ◽

J. Weston ◽

I. B. Squire ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Chronic Heart Failure ◽

Clinical Frailty Scale ◽

Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist ◽

Reduced Ejection Fraction ◽

Frail Patients ◽

History Of ◽

Poor Outcomes ◽

To Receive

Abstract Background Frailty is common in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and is associated with poor outcomes. The natural history of frail patients with CHF is unknown. Methods Frailty was assessed using the clinical frailty scale (CFS) in 467 consecutive patients with CHF (67% male, median age 76 years, median NT-proBNP 1156 ng/L) attending a routine follow-up visit. Those with CFS > 4 were classified as frail. We investigated the relation between frailty and treatments, hospitalisation and death in patients with CHF. Results 206 patients (44%) were frail. Of 291 patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HeFREF), those who were frail (N = 117; 40%) were less likely to receive optimal treatment, with many not receiving a renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitor (frail: 25% vs. non-frail: 4%), a beta-blocker (16% vs. 8%) or a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (50% vs 41%). By 1 year, there were 56 deaths and 322 hospitalisations, of which 25 (45%) and 198 (61%), respectively, were due to non-cardiovascular (non-CV) causes. Most deaths (N = 46, 82%) and hospitalisations (N = 215, 67%) occurred in frail patients. Amongst frail patients, 43% of deaths and 64% of hospitalisations were for non-CV causes; 58% of cardiovascular (CV) deaths were due to advancing HF. Among non-frail patients, 50% of deaths and 57% of hospitalisations were for non-CV causes; all CV deaths were due to advancing HF. Conclusion Frailty in patients with HeFREF is associated with sub-optimal medical treatment. Frail patients are more likely to die or be admitted to hospital, but whether frail or not, many events are non-CV. Graphical abstract

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