# Calculation of the Frailty Index and Precautions for Elderly Patients Undergoing Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery

## TL;DR

This study examines how frailty affects elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal cancer surgery and finds that higher frailty scores correlate with age and worse postoperative outcomes.

## Contribution

The study introduces a method to calculate the Frailty Index (FI) in elderly patients and highlights its correlation with postoperative complications.

## Key findings

- Frailty index scores increase with age in elderly gastrointestinal cancer patients.
- Higher frailty scores correlate with longer hospital stays and ICU stays.
- Preoperative comorbidities increase postoperative mortality and morbidity in elderly patients.

## Abstract

Introduction

It is estimated that the world population is getting older. Accordingly, the incidence of GI tract malignancies is increasing in patients over 65 years of age. This study aims to investigate the impact of frailty on the postoperative course of elderly patients with gastrointestinal malignancies (GIM).

Methodology

This study recruited 120 elderly patients who had been operated on for GIM. Variables such as age, readmission rate, duration of hospitalization, and frailty index (FI) criteria (fatigue, endurance, walking/running speed, comorbidities, and weight loss) were determined, and the FI was calculated. The relationship between the FI and postoperative complications in the study participants was then evaluated.

Results

The study involved 120 patients with gastric, colon, and rectal cancers. The mean age of the participants was 72.79 ± 5.4 years, of which 56.6% (68) were male and 43.3% (52) were female. The average hospitalization duration was 6.7 days, and the average ICU stay duration was 2.2 days. There was a correlation between the age of the patients and their FI scores (FIS).

Conclusion

It was determined that the FIS increases in parallel with increasing age among the elderly. Furthermore, the presence of preoperative comorbidities with old age increases postoperative mortality and morbidity.