Letter to the Editor

The clinical frailty score should not be used to assess mortality and outcomes of ICU patients

Abstract

We were interested to read the article by Saxena et al. [1]. on a prospective observational cohort study on the validity of the clinical frailty score (CFS) as an outcome and mortality prediction tool in 166 ICU patients, conducted between April 23 and September 20, 2023 [1]. Frailty (CFS >5) was present in 40% of patients, increasing CFS by one unit was associated with a 42% higher mortality rate and a 51% higher probability of a negative net outcome [1]. It was concluded that the CFS is a reliable tool for predicting outcome in the ICU and is better than conventional outcome scores [1]. The study is noteworthy, but several points should be discussed.