The association between multidimensional frailty and poor venous accesses in a geriatric population: a retrospective study.

Since the association between frailty and difficulty in finding venous access (AV) is largely unexplored and unclear in geriatrics, the aim of this study is to demonstrate how frailty is associated with bad AV in a population of older hospitalized people. Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI) was used for identifying multidimensional frailty; AV heritage was investigated using a questionnaire prepared by a trained nurse, based on clinical experience. Overall, 145 patients were included (mean age 78.6 (±7.6) males 51.0%). Frailer people had a significantly higher presence of bad AV, no success at first attempt, reported more frequently pain during AV attempts, and significantly higher scores in the NRS (Numeric Rating Scale) compared to their robust counterparts, even after adjusting for some potential confounders. In conclusion, our study demonstrated an association between multidimensional frailty and bad AV in a population of older hospitalized people.