Hand Grip Strength as a Marker of Frailty in Surgical Patients

Hand Grip Strength as a Marker of Frailty in Surgical Patients

This study aims to assess if grip strength can be used as a single, objective surrogate of frailty assessment in the surgical population.

Frailty is associated with worse outcomes. Current screening surveys are cumbersome, most containing multiple components. For frail patients particularly, it can be difficult to ascertain all the information requested. There is a need for a simple, one step, objective screening measure of frailty. There is some evidence in the medicine patients that grip strength may be related to frailty, but no such information is available for surgical patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• General surgery patient admitted to the Section of General Surgery, Trauma, and Surgical Critical Care
• Age >60

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy
• Untreated or metastatic malignancy
• Prisoners