Background: Living alone and limited social interaction are associated with frailty, while low satisfaction with interactions is associated with negative health outcomes. However, the effects of living arrangements, interaction frequency, and interaction satisfaction on physical frailty remain unclear. This study examined the associations among living arrangements, the frequency and satisfaction of social interactions, and physical frailty among community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 5,538 community-dwelling adults aged 60 or older living in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The revised Japanese version of the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria evaluated physical frailty. Frequency and satisfaction of social interactions were evaluated using the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology–Social Network Scale (SNS). Logistic regression analysis was conducted by living arrangement, with physical frailty as the dependent variable and the SNS as the explanatory variable. In the sensitivity analysis, SNS was categorized into two groups based on the median, then combined with living arrangements into four groups to examine the association with physical frailty. Results: A total of 338 (6.3%) participants were classified as physically frail. Participants with high SNS scores showed significantly lower odds of physical frailty regardless of living arrangement (OR: 0.36, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.16-0.80; OR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.45-0.96). Sensitivity analysis similarly showed the high SNS group had lower ORs for physical frailty, regardless of living arrangements. Conclusion High frequency and satisfaction with social interactions were negatively associated with physical frailty, suggesting that enhancing both aspects of social engagement may be beneficial.

A 58-year-old woman was referred to our department with subacute onset dyspnea on effort. A transthoracic echocardiogram revealed mobile left atrial mass originating from the intra-atrial septum, and almost obstructing the left atrial outflow in diastole. From continuous doppler recordings of the tricuspid valve, a systolic pulmonary artery pressure of 114mmHg was estimated. The tumor was exposed through a left atriotomy after bicaval cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). We performed complete excision of the tumor with the endocardium of the intra-atrial septum, to which it was attached. The defect was closed directly with running sutures. The CPB was weaned off uneventfully, however, there was moderate mitral regurgitation shown by transesophageal echocardiogram. Repeat cardioplegic arrest was induced and the mitral valve was exposed again, and mitral valvoplasty was performed. The mitral incompetence was probably due to an extreme tension of the mitral annulus after closure of the resulting intra-atrial defect.