Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in patients aged 80 years or more

A retrospective study of 208 upper gastrointestinal endoscopies (including 56 therapeutic procedures) performed over a 3-year period on 150 patients aged 80 years or more has shown that endoscopy is safe and well tolerated in this age group. Only 10% of first endoscopies were normal. If endoscopies performed for therapy or assessment of peptic ulcer healing are excluded, 79% of endoscopies were considered helpful in revealing the cause of the patients symptoms and/or aiding the patients' management. Endoscopy was particularly helpful in patients with gastrointestinal haemorrhage or dysphagia. Of 63 emergency endoscopies for acute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage, a source of bleeding was found in 82%. Out-patient diagnostic endoscopy and even out-patient endoscopic oesophageal dilatation was safe in the more robust elderly patient. Patients aged 80 years or more made up 5% of all upper gastrointestinal endoscopies and 10% of all emergency endoscopies performed in our unit. The study emphasizes the important contribution of sophisticated investigative techniques to the care of the elderly.