Objective: This study aimed to document the prevalence of frailty in older adults undergoing emergency laparotomy and to explore relationships between frailty and postoperative morbidity and mortality. Summary Background Data: The majority of adults undergoing emergency laparotomy are older adults (≥65 y) that carry the highest mortality. Improved understanding is urgently needed to allow development of targeted interventions. Methods: An observational multicenter (n=49) UK study was performed (March–June 2017). All older adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were included. Preoperative frailty score was calculated using the progressive Clinical Frailty Score (CFS): 1 (very fit) to 7 (severely frail). Primary outcome measures were the prevalence of frailty (CFS 5–7) and its association to mortality at 90 days postoperative. Secondary outcomes included 30-day mortality and morbidity, length of critical care, and overall hospital stay. Results: A total of 937 older adults underwent emergency laparotomy: frailty was present in 20%. Ninety-day mortality was 19.5%. After age and sex adjustment, the risk of 90-day mortality was directly associated with frailty: CFS 5 adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.18 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.24–8.14] and CFS 6/7 aOR 6·10 (95% CI, 2.26–16.45) compared with CFS 1. Similar associations were found for 30-day mortality. Increasing frailty was also associated with increased risk of complications, length of Intensive Care Unit, and overall hospital stay. Conclusions: A fifth of older adults undergoing emergency laparotomy are frail. The presence of frailty is associated with greater risks of postoperative mortality and morbidity and is independent of age. Frailty scoring should be integrated into acute surgical assessment practice to aid decision-making and development of novel postoperative strategies.

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IntroductionThe National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) has reported that older patients (≥65 years) form a large percentage of emergency high-risk cases with increased postoperative morbidity and mortality. With the population continuing to age rapidly, it is clear that a greater understanding of the factors affecting surgical outcomes in older patients is required. Frailty is a relatively new concept taking into account a variety of factors that increase an individual’s vulnerability to increased dependency and death. Research has suggested that high frailty scores increase postoperative complications, length of stay and mortality but the majority of these studies have been carried out on elective patients. Knowledge of how frailty affects patients in an emergency setting would aid clinicians’ and patients’ decision-making process.Methods and analysisThis multicentre study will include consecutive adult patients aged 65 years and over undergoing emergency laparotomies over a 3-month period at 52 National Health Service hospitals across the UK. The primary outcome will be 90-day mortality. Secondary outcomes will include length of hospital stay, 30-day complications, change in level of independence and 30-day readmission. This study has been powered to detect a 10% change in mortality associated with frailty (n=500 patients).Ethics and disseminationThis study has been approved by the National Health Service Research Ethics Committee. It has been registered centrally with HRA for English sites, NRSPCC for Scottish sites and Health and Care Research Permissions Service for sites in Wales. Dissemination will be via international and national surgical and geriatric conferences. In addition, manuscripts will be prepared following the close of the project.Trial registration numberThis study is also registered online at www.clinicaltrials.gov (registration number NCT02952430).

Background: Social media has changed the way surgeons communicate worldwide, particularly in dissemination of trial results. However, it is unclear if social media could be used in recruitment to surgical trials. This study aimed to investigate the influence of Twitter in promoting surgical recruitment in The Emergency Laparotomy and Frailty (ELF) Study. Methods: The ELF Study was a UK-based, prospective, observational cohort that aimed to assess the influence of frailty on 90-day mortality in older adults undergoing emergency surgery. A power calculation required 500 patients to be recruited to detect a 10% change in mortality associated with frailty. A 12-week recruitment period was selected, calculated from information submitted by participating hospitals and the numbers of emergency surgeries performed in adults aged > 65 years. A Twitter handle was designed (@ELFStudy) with eye-catching logos to encourage enrolment and inform the public and clinicians involved in the study. Twitter Analytics and Twitonomy (Digonomy Pty Ltd) were used to analyse user engagement in relation to patient recruitment. Results: After 90 days of data collection, 49 sites from Scotland, England and Wales recruited 952 consecutive patients undergoing emergency laparotomy, with data logged into a database created on REDCap. Target recruitment (n = 500) was achieved by week 11. A total of 591 tweets were published by @ELFStudy since its conception, making 218,136 impressions at time of writing. The number of impressions (number of times users see a particular tweet) prior to March 20th 2017 (study commencement date) was 23,335 (343.2 per tweet), compared to the recruitment period with 114,314 impressions (256.3 per tweet), ending June 20th 2017. Each additional tweet was associated with an increase in recruitment of 1.66 (95%CI 1.36 to 1.97; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The ELF Study over-recruited by nearly 100%, reaching over 200,000 people across the U.K. Branding enhanced tweet aesthetics and helped increase tweet engagement to stimulate discussion and healthy competition amongst clinicians to aid trial recruitment. Other studies may draw from the social media experiences of the ELF Study to optimise collaboration amongst researchers.

Introduction:The rate of transfusion associated with emergency laparoscopic general surgery has been shown to be 0.36%. A significant number of patients undergo group and antibody screening due to perceived risk of hemorrhage. All NHS hospitals have massive transfusion policies with immediate availability of O-negative blood. Blood group and antibody screening carries a cost of £35. The aim of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of group and antibody screening vs crossmatching where required. Materials and methods: All patients undergoing emergency appendicectomy over a 3-year period were retrospectively identified. The transfusion service then identified whether blood had been issued. Results: A total of 645 emergency appendicectomies were identified: 603 were laparoscopic and 42 open. One (0.2%) patient received a transfusion of 2 units. Discussion: Our study has shown a rate of transfusion of 0.2%. If patients were crossmatched as required rather than group and screening, this would give a cost saving of £35 per patient or £22345 across our trust. There are 50,000 appendicectomies per year in the United Kingdom. If this saving were extrapolated, it would generate a saving of £1.1M. Conclusion: Our recommendation would be to crossmatch where required. The cost saving to the NHS could be up to £1.1M with little impact on the demand for O-negative blood.