Dr. Chan Mi Park’s Study Recognized by Anaesthesia as a Top 10 Paper From 2024

Anaesthesia, a publication of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain & Ireland, has named a study authored by Chan Mi Park, MD, MPH, assistant scientist at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research and instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, one of its Top 10 Papers from 2024.  

Anaesthesia is a world-leading, highly prestigious journal, often ranked at the top three in anesthesiology journals by citation metrics. The study is entitled “Impact of peri-operative frailty and operative stress on post-discharge mortality, readmission and days at home in Medicare beneficiaries.” 

Coauthors include Jessica J. Lie, Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC; Laiji Yang, MPH, data scientist, Marcus Institute; Zara Cooper, MD, MSc, Harvard Medical School, and Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and Dae Hyun Kim, MD, MPH, ScD, associate director & senior scientist, Marcus Institute, associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, attending geriatrician, Division of Gerontology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

A summary of the authors’ findings: “The study aimed to investigate the association between perioperative frailty and outcomes such as readmission, mortality, and days spent at home following non-cardiac surgeries with varying degrees of physiological stress. This nationwide retrospective cohort study, including patients aged 65 and older, demonstrated that those with frailty experience worse short- and long-term postoperative outcomes, regardless of the surgical stress level. This underscores the significance of frailty level over procedural stress in identifying high-risk patients for death and loss of home time. These results emphasize routine frailty screening before major and minor non-cardiac procedures and the need for greater surgeon awareness of postoperative outcomes beyond 30 days in shared decision-making with older adults with frailty.”

According to the publication, the 10 articles were shortlisted on the basis of having the greatest number of downloads and highest altimetric scores (all articles had to be original research; guidelines were not eligible). The Board of the Association of Anaesthetists and the Editorial Board of Anaesthesia then voted for their top three. Cumulative ranking scores were then used to create the top 10.

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 4,500 seniors a day across seven campuses throughout Greater Boston. Locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline, Brookline; Jack Satter House, Revere; and Leyland Community, Dorchester. Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife also conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a portfolio of more than $98 million, making it one of the largest gerontological research facilities in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 500 geriatric care providers each year. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn.

About the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
Scientists at the Marcus Institute seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity, and productivity into advanced age. The Marcus Institute carries out rigorous studies that discover the mechanisms of age-related disease and disability; lead to the prevention, treatment, and cure of disease; advance the standard of care for older people; and inform public decision-making.