The perioperative outcome in geriatric patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery

Abstract

Background: The surgical impact on the 30-day mortality and morbidity in geriatric patients is a scarcely studied topic. The aims of this study were to identify the 30-day morbidity and mortality in geriatric patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery and to identify the risk factors associated with the same. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 93 patients at a tertiary care centre. Thirty-day morbidity was broadly grouped into wound, renal, cardiac, respiratory, psychiatric, neurologic complications and others. The complications were also graded into five based on the Clavien–Dindo classification. Data were analysed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: The 30-day mortality in our study was 3.2%. The 30-day overall morbidity was 58.06%. Grade 2 and above Clavien–Dindo complications were encountered in 25/93 patients – 26.9%. There was an increased risk of Grade 2 and above Clavien–Dindo surgical complications in patients who had prior history of falls, who had timed up and go test more than 14 s, who had significant weight loss, who were operated for malignant causes and those who underwent open surgeries. Majority of complications occurred in the 65–69-year age group. Patients operated for non-malignant causes had no post-operative complications in our study. Conclusion: Elective surgery is generally well tolerated by the elderly. Age should not be used as the only criterion when deciding suitability for surgery in this age group. The results of elective surgery in the elderly are in fact reproducibly good, especially in non-malignant causes.