Tag: frailty

‘Surgical pause’ saving lives, expanding beyond VA hospitals

Editor's Note The “surgical pause”—a means of validating whether surgery is truly safe for patients deemed to be “frail” before starting a procedure—significantly reduces mortality rates and is changing practices at more than 50 Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported August 18. Developed by VA surgeons Daniel Hall…

Read More

By: Matt Danford
August 27, 2024
Share

Study: Physical fitness helps bolster older adult brains

Editor's Note Research by the Center for Longevity at the University of Texas, Dallas, suggests that older adults who engage in intensive fitness practices tend to have brains that more closely resemble those of younger adults, the August 23 UTDallas News reports. The study, which compared high-fit older adults (median…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
August 29, 2023
Share

Costs of frailty after major, elective noncardiac surgery

Editor's Note This Canadian study finds a 1.5-fold increase in costs in the year after major, elective noncardiac surgery for patients with preoperative frailty. A total of 171,576 patients (23,219 with preoperative frailty) were included in the analysis. Unadjusted costs were higher for frail patients. After adjusting for confounders, an…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
July 31, 2023
Share

Older people have better mental health, life satisfaction than 30 years ago

Editor's Note This study by researchers from Finland finds that depressive symptoms in 75- and 80-year-olds have decreased, and they are more satisfied with their lives overall than those at the same age 30 years ago. Two independent cohorts of Finnish men and women aged 75 and 80 were analyzed…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
May 9, 2023
Share

Daily step counts before, after COVID-19 pandemic

Editor's Note This study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, finds a consistent, widespread, and significant decline in activity following the onset of COVID-19 in the US. The analysis included 5,443 participants who wore a digital device tracking physical activity (Fitbit) for at least 10 days each month. Daily…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
March 23, 2023
Share

Study: Frailty in women linked to working rotating shifts

Editor's Note This Canadian study finds an association between shift work and frailty among middle-aged and older workers, especially for women on rotating shifts. The researchers looked at 52 factors that can likely lower lifespan. Mildly frail individuals have at least 5 factors, and very frail individuals have at least…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
March 20, 2023
Share

Study: Redefining multimorbidity in older surgical patients may improve clinical decision-making

Editor's Note In this study, led by the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, researchers developed and validated better surgical specialty-specific multimorbidity definitions based on distinct characteristics of older inpatients undergoing general, orthopedic, or vascular surgery. The researchers used 2016 to 2017 Medicare administrative claims data on patients…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
March 15, 2023
Share

Association of preop frailty assessment with 1-year postop mortality

Editor's Note This study from the University of Pittsburgh finds that preoperative frailty screening was associated with significantly reduced 1-year postoperative mortality. A total of 50,463 patients (22,722 before implementation of a frailty assessment initiative and 27,741 after implementation) with at least 1-year of postoperative follow-up were included in the…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
February 23, 2023
Share

1-year mortality after major surgery in older adults

Editor's Note In this study, researchers from Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, find that mortality after major surgery is elevated in older adults who are frail or who have probable dementia. A total of 1,193 major surgical procedures in 992 Medicare beneficiaries were analyzed. Among the findings: Overall,…

Read More

By: Judy Mathias
December 12, 2022
Share

Join our community

Learn More
Video Spotlight
Live chat by BoldChat