Frailty Index is Associated with Vitamin D Insufficiency in Geriatric Surgery Patients: A Prospective Observational Study

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin D, frailty and postoperative outcomes in geriatric patients undergoing elective surgery. Methods: In this prospective observational study, a total of 90 elderly patients who had undergone non-cardiac surgery were included. The patients were classified according to the frailty index (FI) score as “Non-frail (FI 0), Pre-frail (FI 1–2) and Frail (FI ≥3)”. In addition, patients were divided into two groups according to serum vitamin D concentration: vitamin D insufficiency group (n=41) and vitamin D sufficiency group (n=49). Clinical characteristics and postoperative outcomes of the patients were compared between the groups. Results: The mean age of the patients was 75.7 ± 7.6 years, the admission rate to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was 43.3%, and the 30-day mortality rate after surgery was 21.1%. The ICU admission was significantly higher in the “vitamin D insufficiency” group (n=24 versus n=15, p=0.014). In addition, fragility status patients were significantly higher in the “vitamin D insufficiency” group (n=19 versus n=7, p=0.004). Most of the non-frail patients were in the “vitamin D sufficiency” group (n=18 versus n=9). Conclusion: In our study, we observed higher frailty in vitamin D insufficiency patients. In addition, admission to the postoperative ICU was higher in vitamin D insufficiency and frail patients. Our findings show that frailty and vitamin D insufficiency play an important role in postoperative outcomes. Keywords: Vitamin D, frailty, geriatrics, intensive care unit