Objective:

Identifying if the FRAIL index is useful as a predictor of post-surgical complications in patients other than 65 years.

Material and methods:

We studied a sample of 60 patients older than 65 years operated for acute conditions. We all applied the FRAIL index prior to the surgical event to identify those patients who are fragile and non-fragile. We evaluate and compare complications and mortality between each group by objectively with the comprehensive complication index (CCI) test.

Results:

The mean preoperative FRAIL index was 1.82 ± 0.983. The 21.6% were fragile. The 41.7% of the patients had serious complications. We identified that there is a four times higher risk of presenting major complications (ICC ≥ 25) in patients with fragility vs non-fragile patients, OR = 4.479 (95% CI 1.13 to 17.73, p = 0.033).

Conclusion:

The FRAIL index is an easy and usable tool to identify those with fragility syndrome in a timely manner, who are at four times the risk of post-surgical complications.