The frailty of older patients getting ambulatory general surgery correlates with a variety of complications. However, till date, the association of frailty with outcomes in ambulatory general surgery has not been established. In this regard, a recent study evaluated whether frailty was associated with perioperative morbidity in patients undergoing elective ambulatory surgeries. Often frailty is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in major elective and emergency general surgery operations, independent of chronological age.
Most frailty indices use similar medical or physical conditions to determine the degree of frailty. In this recent study, patients older than 40 years who underwent an ambulatory hernia, breast, thyroid, or parathyroid surgery in 2007-2010 were enrolled. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) modified frailty index -- a tool validated…
