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Emergency and elective surgery in patients over age 70

S M Keller1, L J Markovitz, J R Wilder

  • 1Department of Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, New York.

The American Surgeon
|November 1, 1987
PubMed

Insights

Emergency surgery in elderly patients over 70 has significantly higher morbidity and mortality rates compared to elective procedures. These findings highlight the increased risks and resource costs associated with urgent operations in geriatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Geriatric Surgery
  • Surgical Outcomes
  • Patient Risk Assessment

Background:

  • Elderly patients (over 70) represent a growing surgical population.
  • Understanding the risks of emergency versus elective surgery in this demographic is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare morbidity and mortality rates between emergency and elective surgery in patients over 70.
  • To identify common procedures and complication patterns in geriatric surgical patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 613 geriatric patients undergoing surgery.
  • Comparison of outcomes (morbidity, mortality, hospitalization) between emergency and elective surgical groups.

Main Results:

  • Emergency surgery in patients over 70 had 31% morbidity and 20% mortality, versus 6.8% morbidity and 1.9% mortality for elective procedures.
  • Emergency operations were more common in the large bowel, abdominal wall, and stomach.
  • Cardiorespiratory complications were frequent in both groups, particularly after emergency surgery.
  • Prolonged hospital stays and higher mortality in intensive care units were observed following emergency procedures.

Conclusions:

  • Elective surgery in the elderly can be performed safely with acceptable outcomes.
  • Emergency surgery in geriatric patients carries a substantially higher risk of complications, mortality, and resource utilization.

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