Emergency General Surgical Admissions of Octogenarians: A Prospective Study

摘要

Aim: To assess the inappropriate general surgical admissions of octogenarians and to establish the trends of surgical problems in this cohort and their outcome.Method: A prospective data was collected for 4 months in newly established Surgical Decision Making Unit (SDMU)Results: The number of acute admissions were 1466, 935 (64%) were general surgical patients. Octogenarians constituted 12.5% (n=l 17). The presenting complaints were abdominal pain (61%), rectal bleeding (12%) and constipation (10%). Others included vomiting, jaundice, and abdominal mass (17%). 12% (14) underwent different surgical procedures. The mortality in the operated group was (35%), (overall mortality: 9.5%). 20.5% patients were discharged within 48 hours. The rest (56%) were discharged ultimately (3-59 days).Discussion: Octogenarians constitute a considerable work load in acute hospitals. SDMU plays a major role in reducing the unnecessary hospital in-patient admissions.