Abstract
Surgical outcomes of 151 abdominal operations in aged patients over 80 years old were studied in terms of life-saving significance, improved quality of life (QOL) and postoperative complications. In 102 elective operations, the operation was life-saving in 5, QOL improved in 58, and operative death occurred in 7 patients. In the remaining 49 emergency operations, surgery was lifesaving in 25, QOL improved in 33, and operative death occurred in 13 patients. Forty-one patients with benign disease necessitated emergency surgery, indicating a dominance of severe diseases. Curative resection of malignant tumors provided better QOL. Of the 20 postoperative deaths, 8 patients were caused by serious diseases (cancer in 4 and shock in 4); 6 by operative complications (anastomotic leakage in 4, pancreatitis and hepatic insufficiency in each one); and 6 by complicated diseases (pneumonia in two, cardiovascular disease in two, cerebral infarction in one and sudden death in another one). Though abdominal operation would carry a high risk to aged patients, about 60% of the patients in this series were able to have improved QOL after perioperative managenent could be cleared. It is concluded that opportune and correct operation, as well as cautious perioperative care, provide a better QOL for aged patients over 80 years old.
