Prediction of Physical Frailty at Hospital Discharge in Critically Ill Older Patients

Abstract

Aim

To investigate predicting factors for physical frailty development at hospital discharge in older patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods

This case–control study focused on ICU-admitted patients aged ≥ 65 years. This study assessed several independent variables, including functional status score for the ICU, Medical Research Council (MRC) sum score, and handgrip strength at ICU discharge. Physical frailty was the primary outcome of this study.

Results

In total, 61 participants were included: 29 in the non-frailty group and 32 in the frailty group. Logistic regression analysis was used to extract only the MRC sum score at ICU discharge, with a cutoff score of 46 to predict physical frailty onset at hospital discharge. The functional status score for the ICU and handgrip strength were not extracted.

Conclusions

An MRC sum score ≤46 at hospital discharge can predict physical frailty in critically ill older patients admitted to the ICU.

Keywords:

• physical frailty
• older patients
• intensive care unit
• medical research council sum score

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and rehabilitation staff involved in the early rehabilitation of the ICU, as well as dietitians Ms. Mika Hayase and Ms. Hiromi Kishishita for their cooperation in data collection, Editage (www.editage.com) for English language editing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Research data are not shared.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grants from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.