2026 Volume 8 Issue 1 Pages 77-92
Background: Several studies have reported that age influences the severity of hospitalization-associated disability (HAD) after cardiac surgery. However, age-specific differences in the incidence and characteristics of HAD remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the incidence and characteristics of HAD according to age group.
Methods and Results: This prospective, multicenter observational study included 604 patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery at 12 acute-care hospitals. HAD was defined as a decrease of ≥5 points in the Barthel Index score from the preoperative assessment to the discharge assessment. The HAD incidence rate was 6.8% for patients aged 65–74 years, 14.5% for patients aged 75–89 years, and 10.4% overall. The characteristics varied by age group. In the 65–74 age group, the incidence of HAD was influenced by a higher prevalence of comorbidities, level of prehospital nursing care, preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction, intubation time, and physical function. In the 75–89 age group, HAD incidence was associated with Kihon Checklist score, level of nursing care, the use of rehabilitation services, preoperative physical function, and intubation time.
Conclusions: The incidence of HAD in post-cardiac surgery patients was 10.4%, increasing with age. Factors affecting the incidence of HAD differed by age group.
