Evaluation of Postoperative Functional Health Status Decline Among Older Adults

This cohort study examines the incidence, risk factors, and implications of adverse physical outcomes after surgical treatment for patients 80 years or older. Question What is the prevalence of 30-day postoperative functional decline in patients 80 years or older, and what are the associated risk factors? Findings In this cohort study of 2013 older adults who underwent a nonorthopedic surgical procedure, more than 20% experienced a functional decline after 30 days. Geriatric-specific factors statistically significantly associated with this outcome included preoperative mobility aid use and malnutrition as well as postoperative delirium, pressure ulcer, and the need for a new mobility aid at discharge. Meaning Results of this study suggest that prolonged functional decline is common in older surgical patients and is associated with several geriatric-specific factors, which may be modifiable and may serve as targets for quality improvement. Importance Functional outcomes have value for older adults who undergo surgical procedures. Preventing postoperative functional decline in this patient population necessitates the identification of the factors associated with this outcome and minimizing their implications. Objectives To assess the prevalence of functional decline 30 days after a surgical procedure among older adults 80 years or older, examine the risk factors of this decline, and identify ways to minimize this decline by addressing its mutable factors. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study used patient data from the Geriatric Surgery Pilot Project, a multi-institutional data registry of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Inclusion criteria were patients 80 years or older who underwent a surgical procedure that required an inpatient stay at 1 of 23 hospitals enrolled in the Geriatric Surgery Pilot Project from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2018, and had preoperative and postoperative functional health status data. Data analysis was performed from January 7, 2019, to December 2, 2019. Exposures Adults 80 years or older who underwent an inpatient surgical procedure. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative functional decline defined by a change in functional health status from admission or before the surgical procedure (ie, from independent to partially or totally dependent, or from partially dependent to totally dependent). Functional health status was measured by a patient's ability to perform activities of daily living. Secondary outcomes were hospital readmission and 30-day postoperative living location. Results Of the 2013 patients analyzed in this study, 1128 were women (56.0%) and the mean (SD) age was 84.9 (3.9) years. Functional decline at 30 days after the surgical procedure was present in 406 patients (20.2%). Prevalence of this outcome increased with age, with 337 of 1751 patients aged 80 to 89 years (19.2%) experiencing decline compared with 69 of 262 patients 90 years or older (26.3%). In a risk-adjusted model, the geriatric-specific risk factors statistically significantly associated with this outcome included preoperative mobility aid use (odds ratio [OR] 1.76; 95% CI, 1.39-2.22; P < .001) and malnutrition (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.04-3.43; P = .04) as well as postoperative delirium (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.60-3.02; P < .001), pressure ulcer (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.02-3.30; P = .04), and mobility aid at discharge (OR, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.72-3.59; P < .001). Among patients with a 30-day functional decline, 106 (26.1%) required hospital readmission and only 219 (53.9%) were living at home compared with 388 patients (95.6%) living at home before the procedure. Conclusions and Relevance In this study, 1 in 5 older adults experienced a functional decline that persisted 30 days after a surgical procedure, an outcome that appeared to be associated with several geriatric-specific risk factors. Future trials are needed to evaluate whether the prevention or mitigation of these factors can decrease the rates of postoperative functional decline in this patient population.