Table 1:
Baseline characteristics of older patients discharged from hospital after emergency abdominal surgery
| Characteristic | Preadmission level of frailty*; no. (%) of patients† | p value‡ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Well n = 72 |
Vulnerable n = 168 |
Frail n = 68 |
||
| Age, yr, mean ± SD | 73.9 ± 7.0 | 75.2 ± 6.7 | 79.9 ± 9.2 | < 0.001 |
| Sex, female | 30 (41.7) | 75 (44.6) | 35 (51.5) | 0.2 |
| Ethnicity, white | 57 (79.2) | 122 (72.6) | 52 (76.5) | 0.7 |
| Marital status, married or common-law§ | 52 (72.2) | 122 (72.6) | 37 (54.4) | 0.03 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index, median (IQR)§ | 0 (0–1) | 1 (0–2) | 2 (1–3) | < 0.001 |
| BMI, mean ± SD | 26 ± 4.5 | 27.6 ± 6.4 | 26.9 ± 6.5 | 0.4 |
| No. of admission medications, mean ± SD | 1.3 ± 0.5 | 1.5 ± 0.6 | 2.0 ± 0.7 | < 0.001 |
| Laboratory results in normal range on admission | ||||
| Hemoglobin§ | 57 (79.2) | 115 (68.5) | 37 (54.4) | 0.003 |
| Sodium | 60 (83.3) | 138 (82.1) | 50 (73.5) | 0.1 |
| Potassium§ | 64 (88.9) | 133 (79.2) | 57 (83.8) | 0.3 |
| Creatinine§ | 61 (84.7) | 113 (67.3) | 36 (52.9) | < 0.001 |
| Type of initial surgery | 0.01 | |||
| Colon | 7 (9.7) | 25 (14.9) | 11 (16.2) | |
| Small intestine | 19 (26.4) | 44 (26.2) | 24 (35.3) | |
| Hernia | 10 (13.9) | 23 (13.7) | 9 (13.2) | |
| Open cholecystectomy–appendectomy | 10 (13.9) | 9 (5.4) | 4 (5.9) | |
| Closed cholecystectomy–appendectomy | 23 (31.9) | 52 (31.0) | 11 (16.2) | |
| Other | 3 (4.2) | 15 (8.9) | 9 (13.2) | |
| ASA class, median (IQR)§ | 2 (2–3) | 3 (2–3) | 3 (3–4) | < 0.001 |
| Creation of ostomy§ | 3 (4.2) | 16 (9.5) | 9 (13.2) | 0.06 |
| Recovery on ward after initial surgery§ | 68 (94.4) | 153 (91.1) | 48 (70.6) | < 0.001 |
| Total no. of consultations, median (IQR)§ | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | 1 (0–2) | < 0.001 |
| Geriatric consultation | 1 (1.4) | 3 (1.8) | 7 (10.3) | 0.005 |
| Postoperative use of total parenteral nutrition§ | 14 (19.4) | 33 (19.6) | 21 (30.9) | 0.1 |
| Postoperative use of Foley catheter§ | 41 (56.9) | 111 (66.1) | 51 (75.0) | 0.02 |
| Length of stay, d, median (IQR)§ | 7 (4–11) | 9 (6–12) | 13 (7.5–27.5) | < 0.001 |
| Discharge disposition§ | < 0.001 | |||
| Home, living independently | 63 (87.5) | 121 (72.0) | 24 (35.3) | |
| Home, with support, or lodge | 7 (9.7) | 33 (19.6) | 17 (25.0) | |
| Rehabilitation facility or another hospital | 2 (2.8) | 11 (6.5) | 24 (35.3) | |
| Skilled nursing facility | 0 (0) | 2 (1.2) | 3 (4.4) | |
Note: ASA = American Society of Anesthesiologists, BMI = body mass index, IQR = interquartile range, SD = standard deviation.
Level of frailty based on Canadian Study of Health and Aging Clinical Frailty Scale.15
Except where indicated otherwise.
Based on χ2 tests of trend using linear regression for continuous variables, score test of trend of odds for binary variables and Wilcoxon-type test of trend for categorical variables.
Variables identified as potential confounders in the univariable analyses.
The following additional variables, for which data are not shown, were also included in the univariable analyses: current smoking status, vital signs on admission, blood glucose level and white blood cell count on admission, and major surgical complication.