PROTein to Enhance outComes of (Pre)Frail paTients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Patients referred for cardiac surgery are increasingly older, but chronological age does not always capture biological age. This study assessed frailty, as a functional parameter of biological age, as a predictor of mortality or prolonged institutional care. Functional measures of frailty and clinical preoperative data were collected for all cardiac surgery patients at a single center (2004 –2007). Based on the Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living, frailty was defined as any impairment in feeding, bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting, continence, or ambulation, or dementia. The impact of frailty on in-hospital mortality or institutional discharge (other hospital or nursing facility) was assessed with multivariate logistic regression. The interaction of frailty and age was examined, with non-frail patients age<70 as the referent group. Results: Of 3096 patients, 133 (4.3%) were frail. Frail patients were older, more likely to be female, have COPD, CHF, EF<40%, recent MI, pre-operative renal failure, cerebrovascular disease, greater acuity, and more complex operations (p<0.05). Frail patients experienced higher rates of mortality, sepsis, delirium, post-operative renal failure, and transfusion (p<0.001). A greater proportion of frail patients than non-frail patients (49% vs. 9%) were discharged to a setting other than home. In the risk-adjusted models, frailty was an independent predictor of mortality (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.0 –3.2) or institutional discharge (OR 6.4, 95% CI 4.1–9.9). Furthermore, frail elderly (age≥70) patients had greater risk of institutional discharge (OR 22.7, CI 12.4 – 41.7) than frail younger patients (OR 6.5, CI 3.4 –12.5) or non-frail elderly patients (OR 3.5, CI 2.6 – 4.6). Similarly, frail elderly patients had greater risk of mortality (OR 4.0, CI 1.9 – 8.1) than frail younger patients (OR 1.9, CI 0.8 – 4.7) or non-frail elderly patients (OR 2.4, CI 1.7–3.5). Frailty was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality and prolonged institutional care. Frailty combined with older age further discriminated those at highest risk. Special consideration should be given to the management of frail elderly patients who have surgical cardiac disease.

Download Full-text

Volume of frail patients predicts outcome in frail patients after cardiac surgery

Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery ◽

10.1016/j.jtcvs.2020.04.097 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Nicholas J. Goel ◽

Amit Iyengar ◽

John J. Kelly ◽

Jason J. Han ◽

Chase R. Brown ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Surgery ◽

Frail Patients

Download Full-text

Randomised controlled trial protocol for the PROTECT-CS Study: PROTein to Enhance outComes of (pre)frail paTients undergoing Cardiac Surgery

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-037240 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. e037240

Author(s):

Alexandra V Rose ◽

Todd Duhamel ◽

Chris Hyde ◽

Dave E Kent ◽

Jonathan Afilalo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Surgery ◽

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Research Ethics ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Postoperative Recovery ◽

Primary Site ◽

Trial Protocol ◽

Time Points ◽

Frail Patients ◽

Randomised Controlled

IntroductionIn the past 20 years, the increasing burden of heart disease in an ageing population has resulted in cardiac surgery (CS) being offered to more frail and older patients with multiple comorbidities. Frailty and malnutrition are key geriatric syndromes that impact postoperative outcomes, including morbidity, mortality and prolonged hospital length of stay. Enhanced recovery protocols (ERPs), such as prehabilitation, have been associated with a reduction in complications after CS in vulnerable patients. The use of nutritional ERPs may enhance short-term and long-term recovery and mitigate frailty progression while improving patient-reported outcomes.Methods and analysisThis trial is a two-centre, double-blinded, placebo, randomised controlled trial with blinded endpoint assessment and intention-to-treat analysis. One-hundred and fifty CS patients will be randomised to receive either a leucine-rich protein supplement or a placebo with no supplemented protein. Patients will consume their assigned supplement two times per day for approximately 2 weeks pre-procedure, during in-hospital postoperative recovery and for 8 weeks following discharge. The primary outcome will be the Short Physical Performance Battery score. Data collection will occur at four time points including baseline, in-hospital (pre-discharge), 2-month and 6-month time points post-surgery.Ethics and disseminationThe University of Manitoba Biomedical Research Ethics Board (20 March 2018) and the St Boniface Hospital Research Review Committee (28 June 2019) approved the trial protocol for the primary site in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The second site’s (Montreal, Quebec) ethics has been submitted and pending approval from the Research Ethics and New Technology Development Committee for the Montreal Heart Institute (December 2020). Recruitment for the primary site started February 2020 and the second site will begin January 2021. Data gathered from the PROTein to Enhance outComes of (pre)frail paTients undergoing Cardiac Surgery Study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. Knowledge translation strategies will be created to share findings with stakeholders who are positioned to implement evidence-informed change.Potential study impactMalnutrition and frailty play a crucial role in post-CS recovery. Nutritional ERPs are increasingly being recognised as a clinically relevant aspect of perioperative care. As such, this trial is to determine if leucine-rich protein supplementation at key intervals can mitigate frailty progression and facilitate enhanced postoperative recovery.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT04038294).

Download Full-text

One-year mortality increases four-fold in frail patients undergoing cardiac surgery

European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery ◽

10.1093/ejcts/ezaa259 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 59 (1) ◽

pp. 192-198

Author(s):

Caroline Bäck ◽

Mads Hornum ◽

Morten Buus Jørgensen ◽

Ulver Spangsberg Lorenzen ◽

Peter Skov Olsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Surgery ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Hospital Length Of Stay ◽

Risk Scores ◽

Ageing Population ◽

Clinical Trial Registration ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Frail Patients ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Impact

Abstract OBJECTIVES An increased focus on biological age, ‘frailty’, is important in an ageing population including those undergoing cardiac surgery. None of the existing surgery risk scores European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II or Society of Thoracic Surgeons score incorporates frailty. Therefore, there is a need for an additional risk score model including frailty and not simply the chronological age. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of frailty assessment on 1-year mortality and morbidity for patients undergoing cardiac surgery. METHODS A total of 604 patients aged ≥65 years undergoing non-acute cardiac surgery were included in this single-centre prospective observational study. We compared 1-year mortality and morbidity in frail versus non-frail patients. The Comprehensive Assessment of Frailty (CAF) score was used: This is a score of 1–35 determined via minor physical tests. A CAF score ≥11 indicates frailty. RESULTS The median age was 73 years and 79% were men. Twenty-five percent were deemed frail. Frail patients had four-fold, odds ratios 4.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.21–9.69; P < 0.001 increased 1-year mortality and increased risk of postoperative complications, i.e. surgical wound infections and prolonged hospital length of stay. A univariable Cox proportional hazards regression showed that an increased CAF score was a risk factor of mortality at any time after undergoing cardiac surgery (hazards ratios 1.11, 95% CI 1.07–1.14; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS CAF score identified frail patients undergoing cardiac surgery and was a good predictor of 1-year mortality. Clinical trial registration number NCT02992587.

Download Full-text