Frail patients more likely to die in the year after surgery

Patients who have a diagnosis of "frailty" before surgery are more likely to die in the following year, especially soon after joint replacement, according to a new study. "This is important for people who are starting to slow down, not as sharp cognitively, and have complicated medical issues," said lead author Dr. Daniel I. McIsaac of the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. "Every patient goes through risks and benefits deliberations before surgery," and frailty should be part of that discussion, he told Reuters Health by phone. Researchers studied data on more than 200,000 patients age 65 or older who underwent a scheduled major noncardiac surgery between 2002 and 2012 in Ontario.