The aim of the study was to evaluate the results of general surgical treatment of patients over 80 years of age.
Material and methods: Three hundred and four patients aged 80 to 105 years with general surgical disorders, treated in 2005-2009, were retrospectively included in the study. The collected information included demographic data, coexisting diseases, the mode of admission, the diagnosis, the method and result of treatment, and also potential complications and 30-day mortality. The data were subjected to statistical analysis.
Results: The study group included 186 women and 118 men. Two hundred patients (65.8%) were admitted in an emergency setting. The most common causes of immediate hospitalisation were: mechanical ileus (26.5%), gastrointestinal bleeding (22%), trauma (16%), and gall-bladder disorders (8.5%). The remaining 104 (34.2%) patients were operated upon on an elective basis. An emergency operation was required by 121 (60%) of the patients admitted in an emergency setting; the remaining ones were treated conservatively. Hernia plasties (27.5%), cholecystectomies (15.3%), colorectal resections (13.2%), strumectomies (11.2%) and endoscopies (6.1%) predominated among elective surgeries.The total number of complications and mortality were 19.4% and 14.5%, respectively. The number of complications and mortality were significantly higher in the group of patients admitted in an emergency setting (25.5% and 20.5%, respectively) than in patients admitted on an elective basis (8.7% and 2.9%, respectively), p<0.01.The mean duration of hospitalisation was 9.7 days (1 to 60 days), with a small difference between the groups of patients treated on an elective and emergency basis (8.5 and 10.4 days), p=0.181.
Conclusions: The results of surgical treatment of elderly patients do not significantly differ from the results of treatment of the general population. Much worse results, coupled with a significant increase in mortality, are observed in patients admitted and treated on an emergency basis.