Outpatient thyroidectomy is safe in the elderly and super-elderly

Area of Science:

• Surgical Oncology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Endocrine Surgery

Background:

• Thyroidectomy is a common surgical procedure.
• Geriatric patients often have comorbidities that may increase surgical risk.
• Ambulatory surgery aims to reduce healthcare costs and improve patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and outcomes of outpatient thyroidectomy in geriatric patients.
• To compare postoperative complication and readmission rates in elderly and super-elderly patients versus a younger control group undergoing ambulatory thyroidectomy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 1,429 thyroidectomies performed between January 2008 and July 2015.
• Patients were stratified into three age groups: youthful/control (21-40 years), elderly (65-79 years), and super-elderly (≥ 80 years).
• Demographic, surgical, pathological, and outcomes data (complications, readmissions) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Out of 1,429 thyroidectomies, 1,207 (84.5%) were performed on an outpatient basis.
• Complication rates were similar across groups: 5.2% (youthful), 5.0% (elderly), and 6.3% (super-elderly) (P = 0.98).
• Readmission rates were also comparable: 1.5% (youthful), 1.5% (elderly), and 0.0% (super-elderly) (P = 0.89).

Conclusions:

• Ambulatory thyroidectomy is a safe option for appropriately selected geriatric patients.
• Age alone should not be a contraindication for outpatient thyroid surgery.
• Geriatric patients can undergo thyroidectomy on an ambulatory basis with outcomes comparable to younger individuals.