Frailty is a complex syndrome leading to a higher vulnerability in elderly patients, especially during and after surgery. It is characterized by the simultaneous presence of at least three of five phenotypical symptoms: unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, muscle weakness, slow walking speed, and low activity levels. The presence of two of these symptoms is often labelled as pre-frailty.By identifying these symptoms of frailty, medical teams can plan and perform suitable interventions prior to a planned surgery in order to lower these risk factors and to avoid complications, such as delir, hospital re-admission, loss of independence, and increased mortality. Examples for these interventions are pre-surgery rehabilitation and Delirium Management Units (DMU).This article describes the frailty syndrome and its associated consequences for complications during and after surgery. Additionally, clinical assessments for identifying frailty symptoms as well as pre- and post-surgical interventions to reduce these risk factors are presented.
Der stetig zu beobachtende demografische Wandel geht mit veränderten Anforderungen an die Patientenbetreuung einher. Ältere Patienten weisen häufig einen erhöhten Behandlungsbedarf und eine höhere Komplexität des klinischen Gesamtbildes auf. Dieser Umstand ist – abgesehen von der Routineversorgung – besonders dann zu beachten, wenn eine angedachte Intervention zu schweren und potenziell lebensbedrohlichen Komplikationen führen kann.
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.