Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Surgery in a geriatric population.

A P Barlow1, Z Zarifa, R G Shillito

  • 1Department of Surgery, Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Clwyd.

Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
|March 1, 1989
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Modified Delphi study - A UK diagnostic radiography standardised clinical assessment tool.

Radiography (London, England : 1995)·2025
Same author

GAP JUNCTION FUNCTION IS ESSENTIAL FOR SURVIVAL OF ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA CELLS.

Experimental oncology·2024
Same author

The underwater soundscape of the North Sea.

Marine pollution bulletin·2023
Same author

Antenatal preventative pelvic floor muscle exercise intervention led by midwives to reduce postnatal urinary incontinence (APPEAL): protocol for a feasibility and pilot cluster randomised controlled trial.

Pilot and feasibility studies·2022
Same author

Predicting the role of touchless technologies within diagnostic radiography: Results of an international survey.

Radiography (London, England : 1995)·2021
Same author

Making tiestalls more comfortable: III. Providing additional lateral space to improve the resting capacity and comfort of dairy cows.

Journal of dairy science·2020
Same journal

A prospective randomised controlled trial comparing open and laparoscopic pyloromyotomy for infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in a low-middle-income country setting.

Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England·2026
Same journal

Designing sustainable robotic surgery for NHS scale-up: direct electricity measurement and an implementation-ready energy mitigation bundle in colorectal cancer resections.

Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England·2026
Same journal

Trends and causes of litigation in paediatric surgery within the National Health Service (NHS) England: a 19-year analysis.

Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England·2026
Same journal

Laparoscopic-assisted ERCP is a safe procedure with good outcomes: experience from a single high-volume upper GI unit.

Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England·2026
Same journal

The incidence of complex regional pain syndrome following total knee arthroplasty: a prospective multicentre observational study of 1,026 patients with no cases identified according to the Budapest criteria.

Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England·2026
Same journal

Can a generic fracture fixation assessment tool be used to assess quality of distal radius fracture fixation, and predict fixation failure?

Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England·2026
See all related articles

Elderly patients undergoing surgery face higher mortality risks, especially with emergency procedures. Improving outcomes involves prioritizing elective surgery and enhancing post-operative care for high-risk individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Geriatric Surgery
  • Surgical Outcomes Audit
  • Patient Safety in Elderly Surgery

Background:

  • Elderly patients (over 64 years) represent a significant surgical population with unique risks.
  • Previous studies indicate increased mortality in older surgical patients, but specific risk factors require further investigation.
  • Understanding the impact of surgical urgency, patient comorbidities, and surgeon experience is crucial for improving care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To audit the outcomes of general surgical procedures in elderly patients.
  • To identify key factors influencing mortality in this demographic.
  • To provide evidence-based recommendations for improving surgical care and outcomes in the elderly.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective audit of 1111 general surgical procedures in 1040 elderly patients (over 64 years).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Data collection included patient demographics, surgical procedure details, surgeon grade, and patient outcomes (mortality, comorbidities).
  • Analysis focused on comparing mortality rates based on age subgroups, surgical urgency, disease incurability, surgeon experience, and post-operative care.

    • Main Results:

    • Overall mortality was 3.5% in potentially viable elderly patients.
    • Patients over 74 years had double the mortality of those aged 65-74 years.
    • Emergency surgery presented a sevenfold increased risk factor compared to elective procedures. Diagnostic laparotomy for incurable disease also contributed to mortality.
    • Mortality rates were similar across surgeon grades, but senior surgeons performed more major procedures. Supervision rates for junior surgeons (SHOs) were low, particularly in major cases.
    • Patients with prior medical conditions undergoing surgery had higher mortality, with inadequate admission to high dependency care units.

    Conclusions:

    • Mortality rates in elderly surgical patients can be reduced by promoting elective surgery and avoiding non-curative diagnostic laparotomies.
    • Inexperienced surgeons should not operate unsupervised on elderly patients with high American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores (4 or 5) or undergoing major/intermediate surgery.
    • Elderly patients with ASA 4 or 5 status, or those with pre-existing medical conditions undergoing major emergency procedures, require post-operative management in a high dependency care unit.