SURGE-Ahead observation and AI development study

Conditions

Geriatric syndromes and comorbidities during a surgical procedure (emergency, elective) in the departments of trauma surgery, general and visceral surgery, or urology.

Thomas D. Kocar, Utz Lovis Rieger, Filippo Maria Verri, Pauline Maier, Christoph Leinert et al. (12 authors)

European Geriatric Medicine2026-07-31

10.1007/s41999-026-01566-z

Standard-of-care vs expert-recommended discharge destinations for geriatric surgical inpatients: a prospective observational cohort study.

Leinert C, Brefka S, Fotteler ML, Mueller-Stierlin AS, Gebhard F, Rahbari N, Bolenz C, Kestler H, Dallmeier D, Denkinger M, Kocar TD.

2025-12-19

10.1007/s41999-025-01382-x

Detection of adverse events in older adults undergoing surgery using the IHI global trigger tool within the SURGE-Ahead project.

Wolf J, Verri FM, Kocar TD, Dallmeier D, Cintean R, Gebhard F, Bolenz C, Rahbari N, Mueller-Stierlin AS, Denkinger M, Leinert C.

2025-12-17

10.1186/s12877-025-06833-5

Supporting SURgery with GEriatric Co-Management and AI (SURGE-Ahead): A study protocol for the development of a digital geriatrician

Christoph Leinert, Marina Fotteler, Thomas D. Kocar, Dhayana Dallmeier, Hans A. Kestler et al. (26 authors)

PLoS ONE2023-06-1619 citations

10.1371/journal.pone.0287230

Interventions

Group 1: Patients aged 70 years and older with an ISAR-Score of =2 admitted for a surgical procedure will be assessed regarding geriatric domains and syndromes using validated clinical assessments. Ad

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

70 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: - ISAR (Identifying Seniors at Risk) Score: =2 - Inpatient admission for a surgical procedure in one of the participating clinical departments

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: - Patients in a palliative care situation (life expectancy of less than 3 month according to clinical judgement) - Patient not able to provide consent due to cognitive decline without a legal representative - Assessments not possible due to limited communication ability (e.g. Patients with insufficient knowledge of the German language) - Patients who are already participating in an intervention study. - Patients who have an expected length of stay of < 3 nights.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
An expert COC proposal by a geriatrician for the training of the AI. The following COC-options will be recoded: - Geriatric acute hospital - Geriatric of specific rehabilitation (in- or outpatient) - Discharge home (with or without additional aid) - Nursing home	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
• Level of care change from baseline at discharge and at 90 day follow up (e.g., a change in the German nursing care level, use of ambulatory nursing services, or institutionalization) • Basic and instrumental ADL and mobility at discharge and after 90 days (measured using Barthel index, New Mobility Score, and Charité Mobility Index) • Self-reported opinion of participants and general practitioners on COC process at 90 days follow up • Delirium incidence measured using the 4 A’s Test at day 1, 3, 5 and 7 after surgery • Readmission rate within 90 days post-discharge • Length of stay after surgery • Surgical and non-surgical complications rated by chart review with the Global Trigger Tool at discharge • Standardized quality assessment of discharge summaries • Medication review according to FORTA Score, measured at discharge and 90 days post-discharge • Frailty measured using the Clinical Frailty Score at discharge and 90 days post-discharge • Nutrition status measured using the Nutrition Risk Scale 90 days post-discharge • cognition measured with the 5-min version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment 90 days post-discharge • self-reported quality of life of participants measured with the EuroQoL 5D-5L questionnaire 90 days post-discharge • health economic analysis based on the Client Sociodemographic and Service Receipt Inventory (CSSRI) 90 days post-discharge • Feasibility of diagnostic assessments during clinical routine	—

Measure

Time frame

• Level of care change from baseline at discharge and at 90 day follow up (e.g., a change in the German nursing care level, use of ambulatory nursing services, or institutionalization) • Basic and instrumental ADL and mobility at discharge and after 90 days (measured using Barthel index, New Mobility Score, and Charité Mobility Index) • Self-reported opinion of participants and general practitioners on COC process at 90 days follow up • Delirium incidence measured using the 4 A’s Test at day 1, 3, 5 and 7 after surgery • Readmission rate within 90 days post-discharge • Length of stay after surgery • Surgical and non-surgical complications rated by chart review with the Global Trigger Tool at discharge • Standardized quality assessment of discharge summaries • Medication review according to FORTA Score, measured at discharge and 90 days post-discharge • Frailty measured using the Clinical Frailty Score at discharge and 90 days post-discharge • Nutrition status measured using the Nutrition Risk Scale 90 days post-discharge • cognition measured with the 5-min version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment 90 days post-discharge • self-reported quality of life of participants measured with the EuroQoL 5D-5L questionnaire 90 days post-discharge • health economic analysis based on the Client Sociodemographic and Service Receipt Inventory (CSSRI) 90 days post-discharge • Feasibility of diagnostic assessments during clinical routine

—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactMarina Fotteler

AGAPLESION Bethesda Klinik Ulm; Institut für Geriatrische Forschung, Universitätsklinikum Ulm

marina.fotteler@uni-ulm.de0731 187-383

Outcome results

None listed