A study published in JAMA Surgery documented the risks frail patients face when undergoing any type of surgery, Science Daily reports.
Researchers examined the records of 432,828 patients who underwent a noncardiac surgical procedure.
Frail or very frail patients had higher mortality rates after facing low or moderate surgery-related stress. Up to 43 percent of frail patients died within 180 days after a moderate-stress procedure.
Study author Myrick Shinall Jr., MD, PhD, said while it was well-known that frailty was associated with complications and death, the study showed "frail patients have alarmingly high rates of postoperative death, no matter how minor the surgical procedure."
