The influence of frailty on outcomes for older adults admitted to hospital with benign biliary disease: a single-centre, observational cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence and complications of biliary disease increase with age. Frailty has been associated with adverse outcomes in the hospital setting. We describe the prevalence of frailty in older patients hospitalised with benign biliary disease and its association with duration of hospital stay, and 90-day and 1-year mortality. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 75 years and over admitted with acute biliary disease between 17 September 2014 and 20 March 2017. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) score was recorded on admission. RESULTS: We included 200 patients with a median age of 82 (75-99) years, 60% were female; 154 (77%) were independent for personal activities of daily living (ADLs) and 99 (49.5%) for instrumental ADLs. Cholecystitis was the most common diagnosis (43%) followed by cholangitis (36%) and pancreatitis (21%). Ninety-nine patients were non frail (NF; CFS 1-4) and 101 were frail (F; CFS 5-9). Some 104 patients received medical treatment only. Surgery was more common in NF patients (11% vs F 2%), percutaneous drainage more frequently performed in F patients (15% vs NF 5%) and endoscopic cholangiopancreatography was similar in both groups (F 32% vs NF 31%). Frailty was associated with worse clinical outcomes in F vs NF: functional deconditioning (34% vs 11%), increased care level (19% vs 3%), length of stay (12 vs 7 days), 90-day mortality (8% vs 3%) and 1-year mortality (48% vs 24%). CONCLUSIONS: Half of patients in our cohort were frail and spent longer in hospital, were less likely to undergo surgery and were less likely to remain alive at 1 year after discharge.

The National Emergency Laparotomy Audit and older people living with frailty.

The National Emergency Laparotomy Audit highlighted that older people living with frailty have poorer outcomes from emergency laparotomies. This editorial discusses some improvements in care that are needed to improve outcomes in this group of patients.

Increased care at discharge from COVID-19: The association between pre-admission frailty and increased care needs after hospital discharge; a multicentre European observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has placed significant pressure on health and social care. Survivors of COVID-19 may be left with substantial functional deficits requiring ongoing care. We aimed to determine whether pre-admission frailty was associated with increased care needs at discharge for patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. METHODS: Patients were included if aged over 18 years old and admitted to hospital with COVID-19 between 27 February and 10 June 2020. The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) was used to assess pre-admission frailty status. Admission and discharge care levels were recorded. Data were analysed using a mixed-effects logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, smoking status, comorbidities, and admission CRP as a marker of severity of disease. RESULTS: Thirteen hospitals included patients: 1671 patients were screened, and 840 were excluded including, 521 patients who died before discharge (31.1%). Of the 831 patients who were discharged, the median age was 71 years (IQR, 58-81 years) and 369 (44.4%) were women. The median length of hospital stay was 12 days (IQR 6-24). Using the CFS, 438 (47.0%) were living with frailty (≥ CFS 5), and 193 (23.2%) required an increase in the level of care provided. Multivariable analysis showed that frailty was associated with an increase in care needs compared to patients without frailty (CFS 1-3). The adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were as follows: CFS 4, 1.99 (0.97-4.11); CFS 5, 3.77 (1.94-7.32); CFS 6, 4.04 (2.09-7.82); CFS 7, 2.16 (1.12-4.20); and CFS 8, 3.19 (1.06-9.56). CONCLUSIONS: Around a quarter of patients admitted with COVID-19 had increased care needs at discharge. Pre-admission frailty was strongly associated with the need for an increased level of care at discharge. Our results have implications for service planning and public health policy as well as a person's functional outcome, suggesting that frailty screening should be utilised for predictive modelling and early individualised discharge planning.

Nosocomial COVID-19 infection: examining the risk of mortality. The COPE-Nosocomial Study (COVID in Older PEople).

BACKGROUND: Hospital admissions for non-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathology have decreased significantly. It is believed that this may be due to public anxiety about acquiring COVID-19 infection in hospital and the subsequent risk of mortality. AIM: To identify patients who acquire COVID-19 in hospital (nosocomial COVID-19 infection (NC)) and their risk of mortality compared to those with community-acquired COVID-19 (CAC) infection. METHODS: The COPE-Nosocomial Study was an observational cohort study. The primary outcome was the time to all-cause mortality (estimated with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR)), and secondary outcomes were day 7 mortality and the time-to-discharge. A mixed-effects multivariable Cox's proportional hazards model was used, adjusted for demographics and comorbidities. FINDINGS: The study included 1564 patients from 10 hospital sites throughout the UK, and one in Italy, and collected outcomes on patients admitted up to April 28th, 2020. In all, 12.5% of COVID-19 infections were acquired in hospital; 425 (27.2%) patients with COVID died. The median survival time in NC patients was 14 days compared with 10 days in CAC patients. In the primary analysis, NC infection was associated with lower mortality rate (aHR: 0.71; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.51-0.98). Secondary outcomes found no difference in day 7 mortality (adjusted odds ratio: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.47-1.31), but NC patients required longer time in hospital during convalescence (aHR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.37-0.66). CONCLUSION: The minority of COVID-19 cases were the result of NC transmission. No COVID-19 infection comes without risk, but patients with NC had a lower risk of mortality compared to CAC infection; however, caution should be taken when interpreting this finding.

Predicting in-hospital mortality in older general surgical patients.

Introduction A significant number of emergency general surgical admissions occur in older patients. Clinical decision making in this group is challenging and current risk prediction tools extrapolate data from cohorts of younger patients. This is the first UK study to examine risk factors predicting in-hospital mortality in older acute surgical patients undergoing comprehensive geriatric assessment. Methods This was a prospective study of consecutive patients aged ≥75 years admitted non-electively to general surgery wards between September 2014 and February 2017 who were reviewed by an elderly medicine in-reach service. Results A total of 577 patients were included with a mean age of 82.9 years. There was a female predominance (56%). The majority were living at home alone or with carers (93%) and most were independent in basic activities of daily living (79%). Over two-thirds (69%) were mobile with no walking aids or use of a walking stick and overt here-quarters (79%) had no cognitive impairment. Seventy-seven per cent of patients were managed non-operatively. The in-hospital mortality rate was 6.9%. Female sex (p=0.031), dependence in activities of daily living (p<0.001), cognitive impairment (p<0.001) and incontinence (p<0.001) were predictors of in-hospital mortality. ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) grade ≥3 was also associated with increased in-hospital mortality (odds ratio: 5.3, 95% confidence interval: 2.6-10.7). Conclusions Older general surgical patients present a high level of complexity. This study highlights the predictive role of mobility, functional and cognitive impairment when assessing this population. Accurate risk stratification requires global assessment by teams experienced in care of the older patient rather than the traditional focus on co-morbidities.

Docencia y asistencia geriátricas en el Reino Unido: perspectivas actuales / Geriatric teaching and assistance in the United Kingdom: current perspectives

Desde su creación a finales de los años treinta, por Marjorie Warren, la medicina geriátrica se ha desarrollado como parte íntegra del servicio de salud británico. Este artículo ofrece experiencia de primera mano apoyada por una extensa revisión bibliográfica de la situación actual de la Geriatría en el Reino Unido (RU). Se exploran los diversos aspectos asistenciales en el cuidado del enfermo anciano y se describe la tendencia progresiva hacia un modelo integrado en el que todo enfermo adulto que precise ingreso hospitalario, independiente de su edad, es manejado en plantas compartidas por médicos internistas y geriatras. También se analizan las semejanzas y características diferenciales entre los sistemas geriátricos español y británico con especial mención a la creación de unidades especializadas geriátricas (caídas, ictus), la expansión de la psicogeriatría como especialidad y las posibilidades de formación geriátrica en el RU

Ever since geriatric medicine was established by Marjory Warren in the late 1930s specialist geriatric services have developed as an integral part of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom (UK). This article offers first hand experience of the present state of geriatric medicine in the UK supported by a comprehensive literature review. It confers an overview of the range of clinical, preventive, remedial, and social services available to older people. It describes a relentless move towards an integrated model of care where all adult emergency admissions, irrespective of age, are cared for in joint acute wards staffed by general physicians and geriatricians. We also analyse the similarities and differences between the Spanish and British models of geriatric care. Special attention is given to the development of specialist geriatric services (falls, stroke), the expansion of the specialty of psychogeriatrics and possibilities for training in geriatric medicine in the UK