Arenal and Bengoechea-Beeby reported risk factors for short-term mortality after emergency abdominal surgery in an older adult. The authors are from Hospital Universitario Rio Hortega in Spain.
Patient selection: emergency abdominal surgery, age >= 70 years
Outcome: short-term mortality, including 30-day mortality
Overall mortality rate: 22%
Risk factors for mortality:
(1) mesenteric infarction
(2) ASA performance status >= III (with increases for IV and V)
(3) longer interval between onset of symptoms and hospital admission
(4) intestinal diversion with defunctioning stoma
(5) palliative (nontherapeutic) laparotomy
Increasing age was not a risk factor in the absence of the other risk factors.
