Low body temperature and mortality in older patients with frailty in the emergency department

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the association between low body temperature and mortality in frail older adults in the emergency department (ED). Methods Inclusion criteria were: >= 75 years of age, Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) score of 4-8, and temperature documented at ED admission. Patients were allocated to three groups by body temperature: low <= 36.0 degrees C, normal 36.1-38.0 and high >= 38.1. Odds ratios (OR) for 30-day and 90-day mortality were analysed. Results 1577 patients, 61.2% female, were included. Overall mortalities were 85/1577 (5.4%) and 144/1557 (9.2%) in the 30-day and 90-day follow-ups, respectively. The ORs for low body temperature were 3.03 (1.72-5.35; P < 0.001) and 2.71 (1.68-4.38; P < 0.001) for 30-day and 90-day mortality, respectively. This association remained when adjusted for age, CFS score and gender. Mortality of the high-temperature group did not differ significantly when compared to the normal-temperature group. Conclusions Low body temperature in frail older ED patients was associated with significantly higher 30- and 90-day mortality.