Modified Frailty Index and Brief Geriatric Assessment do not predict prolonged hospitalization in elderly patients undergoing appendectomy due to Acute Appendicitis

Introduction: Epidemiology and the outcomes of acute appendicitis in elderly people are very different from the younger patients. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of frailty syndrome in the course of acute appendicitis. Material and methods: All patients over 65 years old who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy between 2013 and 2021 in the 2nd Department of General Surgery were included in the study. In our assessment, we applied Modified Frailty Index and Brief Geriatric Assessment. Results: In the analyzed period, 106 appendectomies were performed in patients over 65 years of age. Postoperative complications occurred in 13 patients (12.3%). Prolonged hospitalization (over 3 days) was observed in 48 patients (45.3%). Multivariate analysis showed that every ASA class (OR = 2.406; 95% CI 1.089-5.316; P = 0.030) and postoperative complication (OR = 5.692; 95% CI 1.077-30.073; P = 0.041) are risk factors for prolonged hospitalization. Our study identified diabetes (OR = 5.956; 95% CI 1.391-25.510; P = 0.016) as a risk factor for postoperative complications. Conclusions: According to our study, Modified Frailty Index and Brief Geriatric Assessment do not correlate with prolonged hospitalization or higher risk for postoperative complications after appendectomy in elderly people.