Frailty and Malnutrition Are Associated With Inpatient Postoperative Complications and Mortality in Hip Fracture Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship of nutrition parameters with the modified frailty index (mFI) and postoperative complications in hip fracture patients.

DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort study.

SETTING: Urban, American College of Surgeons-Verified, Level-1, Trauma Center.

PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred seventy-seven consecutive patients with isolated hip fractures.

INTERVENTION: N/A.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: On admission, albumin and total lymphocyte count (TLC) levels and complication data were collected. Additionally, mFI scores were calculated. Statistical analysis was then used to analyze the association between frailty, malnutrition, and postoperative complications.

RESULTS: Overall, 62.6% and 17.5% of patients were malnourished as defined by TLC of <1500 cells per cubic millimeter and albumin of <3.5 g/dL, respectively. Both TLC (P = 0.024; r = -0.12) and albumin (P < 0.001; r = -0.23) weakly correlated with frailty. Combining malnutrition and frailty revealed predictive synergy. Albumin of <3.5 g/dL and mFI of ≥0.18 in the same patient resulted in a positive predictive value of 69% and a likelihood ratio of 4 (2.15-7.43) for postoperative complications. Similarly, the combination of hypoalbuminemia and frailty resulted in a positive predictive value of 23.3% and likelihood ratio of 8.52 (P < 0.001) for mortality.

CONCLUSIONS: When patients are frail and malnourished, there is a risk elevation beyond that of frailty or malnutrition in isolation. This high-risk cohort can be easily identified at admission with routine laboratory values and clinical history. There is an opportunity to improve outcomes in frail hip fracture patients because malnutrition represents a potentially modifiable risk factor.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.