Safety of Switching From a Vitamin K Antagonist to a Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant in Frail Older Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Results of the FRAIL-AF Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: There is ambiguity whether frail patients with atrial fibrillation managed with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) should be switched to a non-vitamin K oral anticoagulant (NOAC). METHODS: We conducted a pragmatic, multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled superiority trial. Older patients with atrial fibrillation living with frailty (≥75 years of age plus a Groningen Frailty Indicator score ≥3) were randomly assigned to switch from international normalized ratio-guided VKA treatment to an NOAC or to continued VKA treatment. Patients with a glomerular filtration rate <30 mL·min-1·1.73 m-2 or with valvular atrial fibrillation were excluded. Follow-up was 12 months. The cause-specific hazard ratio was calculated for occurrence of the primary outcome that was a major or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding complication, whichever came first, accounting for death as a competing risk. Analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle. Secondary outcomes included thromboembolic events. RESULTS: Between January 2018 and June 2022, a total of 2621 patients were screened for eligibility and 1330 patients were randomly assigned (mean age 83 years, median Groningen Frailty Indicator score 4). After randomization, 6 patients in the switch-to-NOAC arm and 1 patient in the continue-with-VKA arm were excluded due to the presence of exclusion criteria, leaving 662 patients switched from a VKA to an NOAC and 661 patients continued VKAs in the intention-to-treat population. After 163 primary outcome events (101 in the switch arm, 62 in the continue arm), the trial was stopped for futility according to a prespecified futility analysis. The hazard ratio for our primary outcome was 1.69 (95% CI, 1.23-2.32). The hazard ratio for thromboembolic events was 1.26 (95% CI, 0.60-2.61). CONCLUSIONS: Switching international normalized ratio-guided VKA treatment to an NOAC in frail older patients with atrial fibrillation was associated with more bleeding complications compared with continuing VKA treatment, without an associated reduction in thromboembolic complications. REGISTRATION: URL: https://eudract.ema.europa.eu; Unique identifier: 2017-000393-11. URL: https://eudract.ema.europa.eu; Unique identifier: 6721 (FRAIL-AF study).

Understanding the role of frailty in local and systemic complications and healthcare resource utilization in acute pancreatitis: Findings from a national cohort.

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a significant gastrointestinal cause of hospitalization with increasing incidence. Risk stratification is crucial for determining AP outcomes, but the association between frailty and AP outcomes is poorly understood. Moreover, age disparities in severity indices for AP complicate risk assessment. This study investigates frailty's impact on local and systemic complications in AP, readmission rates, and healthcare resource utilization. METHODS: Using the National Readmission Database from 2016 to 2019, we identified adult AP patients and assessed frailty using the Frailty Risk Score. Our analysis included local and systemic complications, resource utilization, readmission rates, procedures performed, and hospitalization outcomes. Multivariate regression was employed, and statistical significance was set at P < 0.05 using Stata version 14.2. RESULTS: Among 1,134,738 AP patients, 6.94 % (78,750) were classified as frail, with a mean age of 63.42 years and 49.71 % being female. Frail patients experienced higher rates of local complications (e.g., pseudocyst, acute pancreatic necrosis, walled-off necrosis) and systemic complications (e.g., pleural effusion, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, abdominal compartment syndrome) compared to non-frail patients. Frailty was associated with increased readmission rates and served as an independent predictor of readmission. Frail patients had higher inpatient mortality (7.11 % vs. 1.60 %), longer hospital stays, and greater hospitalization costs. CONCLUSION: Frailty in AP patients is linked to elevated rates of local and systemic complications, increased mortality, and higher healthcare costs. Assessing frailty is crucial in AP management as it provides a valuable tool for risk stratification and identifying high-risk patients, thereby improving overall outcomes.

The Haemato-Oncology Frailty (HOF) score to assess frailty in lymphoma.

Morbidity and mortality during chemotherapy in older adults with haematological malignancy can be unpredictable. The Haemato-Oncology Frailty (HOF) score was previously found to predict outcomes in a cohort of patients with plasma cell myeloma. In this study, we assess its utility in assessing frailty in patients with lymphoma, and compare its performance to that of two other frailty scores. The HOF score was able to predict progression-free survival in this population, and was also shown to have potential in assessing the dynamism of frailty during chemotherapy. It performed well when compared to the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score and the Haematopoietic Cell Transplantation-Specific Comorbidity Index (HCTCI), although the study was not powered to assess for non-inferiority. The HOF score is a new score with the potential for application in different haematological malignancies.

Shared decision-making with older adults with cancer: Adaptation of a model through literature review and expert opinion.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a literature overview of characteristics of Shared Decision Making (SDM) with specific importance to the older adult population with cancer and to tailor an existing model of SDM in patients with cancer to the needs of older adults. METHODS: A systematic search of several databases was conducted. Eligible studies described factors influencing SDM concerning cancer treatment with adults aged 65 years or above, with any type of cancer. We included qualitative or mixed-methods studies. Themes were identified and discussed in an expert panel, including a patient-representative, until consensus was reached on an adjusted model. RESULTS: Overall 29 studies were included and nine themes were identified from the literature. The themes related to the importance of goal setting, need for tailored information provision, the role of significant others, uncertainty of evidence, the importance of time during and outside of consultations, the possible ill-informed preconceptions that health care professionals (HCPs) might have about older adults and the specific competencies they need to engage in the SDM process with older adults. No new themes emerged from discussion with expert panel. This study presents a visual model of SDM with older patients with cancer based on the identified themes. CONCLUSIONS: Our model shows key elements that are specific to SDM with older adults. Further research needs to focus on how to educate HCPs on the competencies needed to engage in SDM with older patients, and how to implement the model into everyday practice.

Palliative use of self-expanding metal stents in initially anticancer treatment-intolerant patients with esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The post-insertion clinical course of esophageal self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) in initially frail patients with esophageal carcinoma (EC) with dysphagia remains unclear. This study aimed to assess dysphagia improvement and evaluate prognosis in initially frail patients with advanced EC following SEMS insertion. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed EC patients with EC who underwent esophageal SEMS insertion at our institution between January 2014 and March 2023. Inclusion criteria comprised Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) ≥ 3 or ECOG PS 2 for individuals aged ≥ 75 years and recommendation for best supportive care by a multidisciplinary team. RESULTS: Forty-six patients met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 37 patients (80.4%) were ≥ 75 years old, and 21 patients (45.7%) exhibited ECOG PS 3 or 4. Dysphagia score (DS) ≥ 3 was observed in 27 patients (58.7%). All esophageal SEMS insertions were successfully completed. Post-procedure, there were two fatal cases of aspiration pneumonia and one perforation incident. DS improved to ≤ 1 in 25 patients (54.3%), with multivariate analysis indicating DS 3-4 and Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) 1-2 as negative predictive factors. The median overall survival was 4.1 months (95% confidence interval 1.8-6.5). CONCLUSIONS: Esophageal SEMS insertion effectively alleviated dysphagia in initially frail EC patients, yet prognosis remained poor, with occurrences of some fatal adverse events. Careful selection of candidates for esophageal SEMS insertions is crucial in this demographic, particularly considering the challenges in improving dysphagia for patients with DS 3-4 and GPS 1-2.

Personalized Treatment of Multiple Myeloma in Frail Patients.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: As the treatment landscape for multiple myeloma (MM) continues to expand at a rapid pace, management of older adults and frail patients becomes increasingly challenging. As these patients have traditionally been underrepresented on clinical trials, there is limited guidance on the optimal approach to frail patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) or relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). RECENT FINDINGS: Frailty is an independent predictor of tolerability and response to antineoplastic treatment. Stringent eligibility criteria have often excluded these patients, but recently some large trials have included frailty sub-analyses to help guide management. In general, triplet regimens are preferred to doublet regimens in this population and enrollment on a clinical trial should be prioritized when possible. In this review, we summarize the MM frailty scoring tools that have been developed to identify and assess this vulnerable population. We present the clinical trials over the past decade that have enrolled frail patients and/or have included subgroup analyses to help elucidate the response and tolerability of different regimens in this underrepresented group. We provide practical advice regarding assessment and management of frail patients NDMM and RRMM.

Incidence of post-operative delirium increases as severity of frailty increases.

OBJECTIVE: The surgical population is ageing and often frail. Frailty increases the risk for poor post-operative outcomes such as delirium, which carries significant morbidity, mortality and cost. Frailty is often measured in a binary manner, limiting pre-operative counselling. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between categorical frailty severity level and post-operative delirium. METHODS: We performed an analysis of a retrospective cohort of older adults from 12 January 2018 to 3 January 2020 admitted to a tertiary medical center for elective surgery. All participants underwent frailty screening prior to inpatient elective surgery with at least two post-operative delirium assessments. Planned ICU admissions were excluded. Procedures were risk-stratified by the Operative Stress Score (OSS). Categorical frailty severity level (Not Frail, Mild, Moderate, and Severe Frailty) was measured using the Edmonton Frail Scale. Delirium was determined using the 4 A's Test and Confusion Assessment Method-Intensive Care Unit. RESULTS: In sum, 324 patients were included. The overall post-operative delirium incidence was 4.6% (15 individuals), which increased significantly as the categorical frailty severity level increased (2% not frail, 6% mild frailty, 23% moderate frailty; P < 0.001) corresponding to increasing odds of delirium (OR 2.57 [0.62, 10.66] mild vs. not frail; OR 12.10 [3.57, 40.99] moderate vs. not frail). CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of post-operative delirium increases as categorical frailty severity level increases. This suggests that frailty severity should be considered when counselling older adults about their risk for post-operative delirium prior to surgery.

Development of the Community-based complex Interventions to sustain Independence in Older People (CII-OP) typology: a qualitative synthesis of interventions in randomised controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION: Community-based services to sustain independence for older people have varying configurations. A typology of these interventions would improve service provision and research by providing conceptual clarity and enabling the identification of effective configurations. We aimed to produce such a typology. METHOD: We developed our typology by qualitatively synthesising community-based complex interventions to sustain independence in older people, evaluated in randomised controlled trials (RCTs), in four stages: (i) systematically identifying relevant RCTs; (ii) extracting descriptions of interventions (including control) using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication; (iii) generating categories of key intervention features and (iv) grouping the interventions based on these categories. PROSPERO registration: CRD42019162195. RESULTS: Our search identified 129 RCTs involving 266 intervention arms. The Community-based complex Interventions to sustain Independence in Older People (CII-OP) typology comprises 14 action components and 5 tailoring components. Action components include procedures for treating patients or otherwise intended to directly improve their outcomes; regular examples include formal homecare; physical exercise; health education; activities of daily living training; providing aids and adaptations and nutritional support. Tailoring components involve a process that may result in care planning, with multiple action components being planned, recommended or prescribed. Multifactorial action from care planning was the most common tailoring component. It involves individualised, multidomain assessment and management, as in comprehensive geriatric assessment. Sixty-three different intervention types (combinations) were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Our typology provides an empirical basis for service planning and evidence synthesis. We recommend better reporting about organisational aspects of interventions and usual care.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2) in frail or older people with type 2 diabetes and heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2Is) reduce cardio-metabolic and renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) but their efficacy and safety in older or frail individuals remains unclear. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRA and Google Scholar and selected randomised controlled trials and observational studies comparing SGLT2Is versus placebo/other glucose-lowering agent for people with frailty or older individuals (>65 years) with T2D and heart failure (HF). Extracted data on the change in HbA1c % and safety outcomes were pooled in a random-effects meta-analysis model. RESULTS: We included data from 20 studies (22 reports; N = 77,083 patients). SGLT2Is did not significantly reduce HbA1c level (mean difference -0.13, 95%CI: -0.41 to 0.14). SGLT2Is were associated with a significant reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality (risk ratio (RR) 0.81, 95%CI: -0.69 to 0.95), cardiac death (RR 0.80, 95%CI: -0.94 to 0.69) and hospitalisation for heart failure (HHF) (RR 0.69, 95%CI: 0.59-0.81). However, SGLT2Is did not demonstrate significant effect in reducing in the risk of macrovascular events (acute coronary syndrome or cerebral vascular occlusion), renal progression/composite renal endpoint, acute kidney injury, worsening HF, atrial fibrillation or diabetic ketoacidosis. CONCLUSIONS: In older or frail patients with T2D and HF, SGLT2Is are consistently linked with a decrease in total mortality and the overall burden of cardiovascular (CV) events, including HHF events and cardiac death, but not protective for macrovascular death or renal events. Adverse events were more difficult to quantify but the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis or acute kidney injury was not significantly increase.

'I think we could probably do more': an interview study to explore community pharmacists' experiences and perspectives of frailty and optimising medicines use in frail older adults.

BACKGROUND: Community pharmacists potentially have an important role to play in identification of frailty and delivery of interventions to optimise medicines use for frail older adults. However, little is known about their knowledge or views about this role. AIM: To explore community pharmacists' knowledge of frailty and assessment, experiences and contact with frail older adults, and perceptions of their role in optimising medicines use for this population. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews conducted between March and December 2020 with 15 community pharmacists in Northern Ireland. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. RESULTS: Three broad themes were generated from the data. The first, 'awareness and understanding of frailty', highlighted gaps in community pharmacists' knowledge regarding presentation and identification of frailty and their reluctance to broach potentially challenging conversations with frail older patients. Within the second theme, 'problem-solving and supporting medication use', community pharmacists felt a large part of their role was to resolve medicines-related issues for frail older adults through collaboration with other primary healthcare professionals but feedback on the outcome was often not provided upon issue resolution. The third theme, 'seizing opportunities in primary care to enhance pharmaceutical care provision for frail older adults', identified areas for further development of the community pharmacist role. CONCLUSIONS: This study has provided an understanding of the views and experiences of community pharmacists about frailty. Community pharmacists' knowledge deficits about frailty must be addressed and their communication skills enhanced so they may confidently initiate conversations about frailty and medicines use with older adults.

A multicenter retrospective study to assess feasibility, safety and efficacy of first-line carboplatin-paclitaxel versus carboplatin monotherapy in a frail, elderly epithelial ovarian cancer population.

OBJECTIVE: Underrepresentation of elderly ovarian cancer patients in clinical trials has led to lack of clarity regarding optimal first-line chemotherapy in this cohort. The Elderly Women with Ovarian Cancer (EWOC)-1 trial demonstrated that 3-weekly carboplatin (3wC) resulted in worse survival and feasibility compared with standard 3-weekly carboplatin-paclitaxel (3wCP) in frail, elderly ovarian cancer patients. Our retrospective study compares feasibility, safety, and efficacy of first-line 3wCP and 3wC in a frail ovarian cancer cohort. METHODS: Clinical data were retrospectively analyzed for newly-diagnosed, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage III/IV, ≥70-year-old epithelial ovarian cancer patients, treated by clinician choice with 3wC or 3wCP at two London cancer centers over a 2 year period. Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status provided surrogate markers of frailty. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v5.0 graded toxicity. RESULTS: A total of 107 patients were treated with 3wC (n=30) and 3wCP (n=77). Age, performance status, and CCI were significantly different between cohorts, with 3wC patients older (84 vs 75 years, p<0.001), with more comorbidities (median CCI 4 vs 3, p<0.001) and worse performance status (47% vs 17% PS ≥2, p=0.015). Surgical outcomes differed significantly between cohorts, with 20 (67%) 3wC patients not undergoing surgery, compared with 22 (29%) 3wCP patients (p<0.001). Median follow-up was 45.8 months (IQR 38.7-56.3 months). While we observed improved progression-free (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.90, p=0.017) and overall survival (HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.73, p=0.001, log-rank test) in a univariate cox proportional hazards comparison between 3wCP and 3wC, this was not significant on multivariate analysis. Completion of six planned chemotherapy cycles was achieved by the majority, with similar discontinuation rates between groups (13% 3wC vs 8% 3wCP, p>0.05). Overall grade ≥3 hematological toxicity rates were similar between regimens (33% 3wC vs 44% 3wCP, p=0.37) with grade ≥3 neutropenia (p=0.019) and grade ≥3 thrombocytopenia (p=0.006) more common with 3wCP and 3wC, respectively. No treatment-related deaths occurred. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrates that standard 3wCP is a well-tolerated, feasible first-line treatment for frail, elderly ovarian cancer patients. Improved survival with 3wCP was not significant when corrected for established clinical prognostic factors.

EAES/SAGES evidence-based recommendations and expert consensus on optimization of perioperative care in older adults.

BACKGROUND: As the population ages, more older adults are presenting for surgery. Age-related declines in physiological reserve and functional capacity can result in frailty and poor outcomes after surgery. Hence, optimizing perioperative care in older patients is imperative. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways and Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) may influence surgical outcomes, but current use and impact on older adults patients is unknown. The aim of this study was to provide evidence-based recommendations on perioperative care of older adults undergoing major abdominal surgery. METHODS: Expert consensus determined working definitions for key terms and metrics related to perioperative care. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis was performed using the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrials.gov databases for 24 pre-defined key questions in the topic areas of prehabilitation, MIS, and ERAS in major abdominal surgery (colorectal, upper gastrointestinal (UGI), Hernia, and hepatopancreatic biliary (HPB)) to generate evidence-based recommendations following the GRADE methodology. RESULT: Older adults were defined as 65 years and older. Over 20,000 articles were initially retrieved from search parameters. Evidence synthesis was performed across the three topic areas from 172 studies, with meta-analyses conducted for MIS and ERAS topics. The use of MIS and ERAS was recommended for older adult patients particularly when undergoing colorectal surgery. Expert opinion recommended prehabilitation, cessation of smoking and alcohol, and correction of anemia in all colorectal, UGI, Hernia, and HPB procedures in older adults. All recommendations were conditional, with low to very low certainty of evidence, with the exception of ERAS program in colorectal surgery. CONCLUSIONS: MIS and ERAS are recommended in older adults undergoing major abdominal surgery, with evidence supporting use in colorectal surgery. Though expert opinion supported prehabilitation, there is insufficient evidence supporting use. This work has identified evidence gaps for further studies to optimize older adults undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Recovery of surgery in the elderly (ROSE) program: The efficacy of a multi-modal prehabilitation program implemented in frail and pre-frail elderly undergoing major abdominal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Major abdominal surgery is associated with a high rate of post-operative complications with increased risk of adverse surgical outcomes due to the presence of frailty. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the multimodal Recovery of Surgery in the Elderly (ROSE) prehabilitation program with supervised exercise in mitigating postoperative functional decline when compared to standard care. METHOD: The ROSE program enrolled ambulant patients who were 65 years and above, had a Clinical Frailty Scale score of 4 or more and were planned for major abdominal surgery. Participation in supervised exercise sessions before surgery were compared with standard physiotherapy advice. The primary outcome was 6-min walk test (6MWT) distance assessed at baseline, after prehabilitation and 30 days follow-up after surgery. Secondary outcomes included physical performance, length of hospital stay and postoperative morbidity. RESULTS: Data from 74 eligible patients, 37 in each group, were included. Median age was 78 years old. Forty-two patients (22 in Prehab group and 20 in control group) with complete 6MWT follow-up data at 30 days follow-up were analysed for outcomes. Most patients underwent laparoscopic surgery (63.5%) and almost all of the surgeries were for abdominal malignancies (97.3%). The Prehab group had an increase in 6MWT distance at the 30-day follow up, from a baseline mean (SD) of 277.4 (125) m to 287.6 (143.5) m (p = 0.415). The 6MWT distance in the control group decreased from a baseline mean (SD) of 281.7 (100.5) m to 260.1 (78.6) m at the 30-day follow up (p = 0.086). After adjusting for baseline 6MWT distance and frailty score, the Prehab group had significantly higher 6MWT distance at 30-day follow-up than control (difference in adjusted means 41.7 m, 95% confidence interval 8.7-74.8 m, p = 0.015). There were no significant between-group differences in the secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: A multimodal prehabilitation program with supervised exercise within a short time frame can improve preoperative functional capacity and maintain baseline functional capacity in frail older adults undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Effect of Inspiratory Muscle Training on Cough Strength in Older People With Frailty: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on cough strength in older people with frailty. DESIGN: Single-blind randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Day health care centers at 2 sites. PARTICIPANTS: Older people with frailty (N=60). INTERVENTIONS: Eligible people were randomly assigned to receive IMT program in addition to general exercise training (IMT group), or general exercise training alone (control group). The IMT group performed training using a threshold IMT device with the load set at 30% of maximum inspiratory mouth pressure in addition to the general exercise training program throughout the 8 weeks. The IMT took place twice a day and each session consisted of 30 breaths. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome was cough strength, measured as the cough peak flow (CPF), at the beginning and the end of the program. RESULTS: Data from 52 participants (26 in each group) were available for the analysis. The mean age was 82.6 years; 33% were men. The change in CPF at the end of the program was 28.7±44.4 L/min in the IMT group and -7.4±26.6 L/min in the control group. A linear regression model showed that the presence or absence of IMT was associated with changes in CPF (mean difference between groups, 36.3; 95% confidence interval, 16.7-55.9; effect size, 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: IMT may be a useful intervention to improve cough strength in frail older people.

Real-world evidence evaluation of LDL-C in hospitalized patients: a population-based observational study in the timeframe 2021-2022.

AIMS: European registries and retrospective cohort studies have highlighted the failure to achieve low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) targets in many very high-risk patients. Hospitalized patients are often frail, and frailty is associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. The aim of this study is to evaluate LDL-C levels in a real-world inpatient setting, identifying cardiovascular risk categories and highlighting treatment gaps in the implementation of LDL-C management. METHODS: This retrospective, observational study included all adult patients admitted to an Italian hospital between 2021 and 2022 with available LDL-C values during hospitalization. Disease-related real-world data were collected from Hospital Information System using automated data extraction strategies and through the implementation of a patient-centered data repository (the Dyslipidemia Data Mart). We performed assessment of cardiovascular risk profiles, LDL-C target achievement according to the 2019 ESC/EAS guidelines, and use of lipid-lowering therapies (LLT). RESULTS: 13,834 patients were included: 17.15%, 13.72%, 16.82% and 49.76% were low (L), moderate (M), high (H) and very high-risk (VH) patients, respectively. The percentage of on-target patients was progressively lower towards the worst categories (78.79% in L, 58.38% in M, 33.3% in H and 21.37% in VH). Among LLT treated patients, 28.48% were on-target in VH category, 47.60% in H, 69.12% in M and 68.47% in L. We also analyzed the impact of monotherapies and combination therapies on target achievement. CONCLUSIONS: We found relevant gaps in LDL-C management in the population of inpatients, especially in the VH category. Future efforts should be aimed at reducing cardiovascular risk in these subjects.

Prevalence of frailty and pain in hospitalised cancer patients: implications for older adult care.

A hospital-wide point prevalence study investigated frailty and pain in patients with a cancer-related admission. Modifiable factors associated with frailty in people with cancer were determined through logistic regression. Forty-eight patients (19%) with cancer-related admissions were 2.65 times more likely to be frail and 2.12 more likely to have moderate pain. Frailty and pain were highly prevalent among cancer-related admissions, reinforcing the need for frailty screening and importance of pain assessment for patients with cancer.

The conveyor belt for older people nearing the end of life.

The current fallback position for the elderly frail nearing the end of life (less than 12 months to live) is hospitalisation. There is a reluctance to use the term 'terminally ill' for this population, resulting in overtreatment, overdiagnosis and management that is not consistent with the wishes of people. This is the major contributor to the so-called hospital crisis, including decreased capacity of hospitals, reduced ability to conduct elective surgery, increased attendances at emergency departments and ambulance ramping. The authors recently conducted the largest randomised study, to their knowledge, attempting to inform specialist hospital medical teams about the terminally ill status of their admitted patients. This information did not influence their clinical decisions in any way. The authors discuss the reasons why this may have occurred, such as the current avoidance of discussing death and dying by society and the concentration of healthcare workers on actively managing the acute presenting problem and ignoring the underlying prognosis in the elderly frail. The authors discuss ways of improving the management of the elderly nearing the end of life, such as more detailed goals of care discussions using the concept of shared decision-making rather than simply completing Advanced Care Decision documents. Empowering people in this way could become the most important driver of people's health care.

Screening for frailty and its association with activities of daily living, cognitive impairment, and falls among community-dwelling older adults in China.

OBJECTIVES: Frailty is a prevalent geriatric condition that significantly impacts the health of older adults. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of frailty among older Chinese adults aged ≥ 65 years and to assess its association with adverse geriatric outcomes. METHOD: This study included 20,724 older adults aged ≥ 65 years in Jiangsu Province, China, utilizing a random, stratified, multistage cluster sampling approach. Frailty was assessed using the 5-item FRAIL scale. Geriatric outcomes, such as independence in activities of daily living (ADL), cognitive impairment, and frequent fall events (occurring four or more times in the preceding year), were evaluated. Logistic regression models were employed to evaluate the association between frailty and geriatric outcomes, with results presented as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 73.4 ± 6.4 years. The standardized prevalence of prefrailty and frailty was 35.2% and 10.3%, respectively. Individuals identified as prefrail or frail tended to live in rural areas, have lower educational levels, be widowed, have lower incomes, and engage in less physical activity. Prefrailty and frailty were associated with an increased risk of limitations in BADL (OR: 9.62, 95% CI: 7.43-12.46; and OR: 29.25, 95% CI: 22.42-38.17, respectively) and IADL (OR: 2.54, 95% CI 2.35-2.74; and OR: 5.19, 95% CI 4.66-5.78, respectively), positive cognitive impairment screening (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.16-1.31; and OR: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.56-1.91, respectively), and frequent falls (occurring four or more times in the preceding year) (OR: 3.38, 95% CI: 2.50-4.56; and OR: 8.37, 95% CI: 6.01-11.65). The association between frailty and both limitations in BADL and falls was notably more pronounced among the younger age groups (p for interaction < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: According to the 5-item FRAIL scale, frailty was associated with limitations in BADLs and IADLs, positive cognitive impairment screening, and recent falls among older adults living in the community. Screening for frailty in younger age groups has the potential to prevent declines in physical function and falls.

Multicomponent perioperative interventions to improve outcomes for frail patients: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative frailty is associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes. In 2017, McIsaac and colleagues' systematic review found that few interventions improved outcomes in this population and evidence was low-quality. We aimed to systematically review the evidence for multicomponent perioperative interventions in frail patients that has emerged since McIsaac et al.'s review. METHODS: PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane, and CINAHL databases were searched for English-language studies published since January 1, 2016, that evaluated multicomponent perioperative interventions in patients identified as frail. Quality was assessed using the National Institute of Health Quality Assessment Tool. A narrative synthesis of the extracted data was conducted. RESULTS: Of 2835 articles screened, five studies were included, all of which were conducted in elective oncologic gastrointestinal surgical populations. Four hundred and thirteen patients were included across the five studies and the mean/median age ranged from 70.1 to 87.0 years. Multicomponent interventions were all applied in the preoperative period. Two studies also applied interventions postoperatively. All interventions addressed exercise and nutritional domains with variability in timing, delivery, and adherence. Multicomponent interventions were associated with reduced postoperative complications, functional deterioration, length of stay, and mortality. Four studies reported on patient-centred outcomes. The quality of evidence was fair. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review provides evidence that frail surgical patients undergoing elective oncologic gastrointestinal surgery may benefit from targeted multicomponent perioperative interventions. Yet methodological issues and substantial heterogeneity of the interventions precludes drawing clear conclusions regarding the optimal model of care. Larger, low risk of bias studies are needed to evaluate optimal intervention delivery, effectiveness in other populations, implementation in health care settings and ascertain outcomes of importance for frail patients and their carers.

Frail older people with decreased cognition can perceive reduced self-determination in self-care and social relationships.

BACKGROUND: Self-determination in old age is essential for people's experiences of good subjective health and quality of life. The knowledge concerning how frail older people with decreased cognition perceive their ability to be self-determined in the different dimension in daily life is, however, limited. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the relationship of self-determination and cognition in frail older people. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional secondary data analysis using baseline data with 119 frail people 75 ≥ from a larger randomized control trial. Self-determination was measured with the statements from the Impact on Participation and Autonomy-Older persons (IPA-O). Cognition was measured using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), where decreased cognition was broadly defined as a score below 25 points. Fisher's exact test was used to test differences in proportions of perceiving self-determination in relation to cognition. The Relative Risk (RR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was used to explore the risk of perceiving reduced self-determination in relation to cognitive functioning. RESULTS: Nearly the entire study population, regardless of cognitive functioning, perceived self-determination in Financial situation. For people with decreased cognition, the relative risk for perceiving reduced self-determination was statistically significant higher in activities related to Self-care and in Social relationships when comparing with the participants with intact cognition. CONCLUSION: Perceiving self-determination when being old, frail and having decreased cognition is possible but is dependent upon which activities that are involved. Organizing healthcare needs according to the older people's wants and wishes is crucial regardless of people having a cognitive decline or not when the effort is to enable the people to be as self-determined as they want. The frail older people with decreased cognition should be treated as being experts in their own lives, and healthcare professionals should navigate the older people to get to their desired direction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02773914. Retrospectively registered 16 May 2016.