CLINICAL STUDY ON GASTROINTESTINAL SURGERIES FOR PATIENTS OVER THE AGE OF 80-EVALUATION OF PRE AND POSTOPERATIVE CARE

• Published in: Nihon Rinsho Geka Gakkai Zasshi (Journal of Japan Surgical Association) Vol. 62; no. 1; pp. 1 - 7
• Main Authors: ENDO, Sachio, KOH, Shunhan, TAKAHASHI, Osamu, SHIMODA, Tsukasa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Surgical Association 2001
• Subjects: ADL
• ISSN: 1345-2843; 1882-5133
• DOI: 10.3919/jjsa.62.1

Forty cases of gastrointestinal surgery in patients over the age of 80 who were treated at our hospital between April 1992 and March 1999 were studied in terms of changes in pre and postoperative activity of daily life (ADL) and the degree to which the patients were bedridden. Preoperative abnormalities in laboratory data and underlying disorders were confirmed in 90% of the subjects. Except for cases of emergency operation and those of palliative surgery for malignancy, none of the cases undergoing elective surgery experienced severe complications and all cases were able to tolerate the surgeries. However, when changes in ADL were reviewed in 30 patients who had been discharged, some deterioration in movement and excretion were observed in six patients (20%). Two patients experienced a significant deterioration, from ‘independent’ to ‘bedridden’. Surgical intervention should be minimized in elderly patients, and the possibility of a postoperative deterioration in ADL should be considered in addition to the patient's ability to tolerate the operation. Systems offering postoperative support and care should also be established.