Comparison of preoperative screening tools predicting postoperative complications in oncogeriatric surgical patients.

Abstract

9557 Background: In the onco-geriatric surgical population it is important to identify patients at increased risk of adverse post-operative outcome in order to effectively implement preventive measures and to improve outcome in this population. There is need for a time saving and efficient screening tool. Our aim was to determine the predictive ability of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and Timed “Up & Go” (TUG) concerning the occurrence of a major post-operative complication in a series of elderly patients undergoing elective surgery for solid tumors. Methods: In an international cohort, 329 patients ≥70years undergoing elective surgery for solid tumors were prospectively included. Primary endpoint was the incidence of a major complication during the first 30 days after surgery. Pre-operatively the MMSE, BFI and TUG were scored. TUG depicts the time needed to stand up from a chair, walk 3 meters, turn around, walk back and sit down. Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analyses to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%-CI). Results: The majority of patients underwent major surgery (n=219; 66.6%). A total of 71 (22.1%) patients experienced major complications. TUG, MMSE and BFI, adjusted for center, gender and minor or major surgery, were independent predictors of the occurrence of major post-operative complications (see Table). Conclusions: Screening tools are able to predict major post-operative complications in onco-geriatric surgical patients. TUG is most specific in identifying patients at risk and could be considered to allocate preventive measures effectively. [Table: see text]