Geriatrics & Gerontology InternationalNov 5, 2026, 13:59 GMT

Frailty worsened in one in eight older heart surgery patients

Over two years, 13.3% had persistently high, worsening frailty, while 50.5% had low, improving scores and 36.1% had moderate, stable frailty.

Paper by Kazuhisa Tsurumoto, Kenta Kamisaka, Kentaro Iwata, +12Tetsuya Takahashi · Kitano Hospital Osaka Japan · Faculty of Health Science Juntendo University Tokyo Japan

Graphical abstract from Geriatrics & Gerontology International — Graphical abstract. Tsurumoto et al.

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Populations

Studied:: Cohort study of 588 older adults undergoing elective heart surgery, 2 years (Multicenter)
What changed:: Frailty stayed high and worsened in 13.3% of older adults after elective heart surgery
The catch:: Underlying illness could contribute to both postoperative complications and worsening frailty
In the record:: The 429th paper on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with results in people; 1,805 on record in all.
Why it’s aging research:: It measures an outcome that worsens with age.

Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper

Adults aged 65–89 who underwent elective heart surgery took part in a Japanese multicenter prospective cohort study of 588 patients. Their mean age was 74.7 years, and 41.0% were female. The team assessed frailty with the Kihon Checklist before surgery and at 6, 12 and 24 months after discharge.

Statistical modeling identified three patterns: persistently low and improving frailty scores, moderate and stable frailty, and persistently high and worsening frailty. The last pattern accounted for 13.3% of patients. Compared with the low-frailty group, membership in the worsening group was linked to older age, postoperative delirium—a sudden state of confusion—impaired kidney function and lower scores for independence in everyday activities.

Why it matters

For older adults facing heart surgery, the authors suggested that identifying high-risk patients early may enable care from several specialties to improve long-term function.

Caveats

The observational follow-up could not rule out underlying illness contributing both to postoperative complications and to worsening frailty. The findings concern adults aged 65–89 undergoing elective surgery, not emergency surgery.