Comprehensive assessment of frailty for elderly high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery☆

Abstract

The comprehensive assessment of frailty is an additional tool to evaluate elderly patients adequately before cardiac surgical interventions. The Frailty score combines characteristics of the Fried criteria [1], of patient phenotype, of his physical performance and laboratory results. Further analysis on a larger patient population is warranted. A combination of the new Frailty score and the traditional scoring systems may facilitate a more accurate risk scoring in elderly high-risk patients scheduled for conventional cardiac surgery or trans-catheter aortic valve replacement.