Assessment of frailty in cirrhosis using bedside measures and its correlation with Child-Turcotte-Pugh, MELD & MELD-Na Scores

Objectives: To assess frailty in cirrhotic by calculating Liver Frailty Index (LFI) using bedside clinical tests and correlate it with Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP), MELD, MELD Na, Fib- 4 and Transient Elastography (TE) scores Methods: This cross-sectional observational comparative study was carried out in Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi from August 2020 to September 2021. Patients were subjected to three performance-based testing including dominant hand grip strength (HGS), Chair to Stand (CTS) Time Et Three Position Balance (TPB). LFI was calculated using the online LFI calculator, available at http://liverfrailtyindex.ucsf.edu and classified as 'Robust' if LFI <3.2, 'Prefrail' LFI between 3.2 and 4.4, and 'Frail' as LFI >= 4.5. Correlation of frailty with MELD, MELD-Na and CTP Scores was done. Means of MELD & MELD-Na Scores and CTP scores were calculated in all 3 classes of frailty using one way ANOVA. A p-value of <=.05 was taken as significant. Results: Out of 118 patients, 62 (52.5%) were males. Mean MELD score was 11.4 +/- 3.3, MELD-Na was 15.97 +/- 8.54, CTP 8.25 +/- 2.21, Fib-4 was 2.79 +/- 1.034 and TE score was 18.20 +/- 9.17. Mean LFI was 3.87 +/- 1.07; mean HGS was 18.12 +/- 4.68; mean of CTS was 9.62 +/- 3.55. LFI Class distribution in our cohort showed Robust were 36 (30.5%), Prefrail 34 (28.8%) and Frail were 48 (40.8 % ). Correlation of all these variables with LFI showed significant correlation with LFI, but highest correlation coefficient was seen with MELD-Na. Conclusion: Significant correlation between frailty score in cirrhotic with cirrhosis severity scores highlights the need for frequently assessing LFI in all cirrhotic at regular follow up visits.