Centenarians Respond Well to Surgery

A study of centenarians who underwent surgery showed that they fared well after their operation, with most having a positive outcome in spite of their age and having a number of diseases. The study was presented at the annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons in Chicago (IL, USA).

The study involved 61 patients over 100. The average age was 101.5 and the oldest patient was 111 years old. The patients had an average of five concomitant diseases, and two-thirds had a cardiovascular condition, such as congestive heart failure or atrial fibrillation. A total of five gastrointestinal operations, six orthopedic procedures, nine percutaneous gastrostomies, 13 endoscopes, and 28 other types of procedures were performed on the patients. More than half were discharged to a nursing home, 30% returned home, and 4% entered rehabilitation. Only 15% of the patients died.

The number of centenarians having surgery is growing, as life expectancy increases. The first report of a surgical procedure being performed in the United States on someone over the age of 100 was in 1985. Now, it is becoming more commonplace. Doctors say advancements in anesthetic administration, surgical techniques, and postoperative care contribute toward good outcomes.

"Therefore, elective surgery should not be deferred, and emergency surgery should not be denied to patients older than 100 years because of their chronologic age,” said Ramesh Paladugu, M.D., lead author of the study and surgical resident at New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn (USA). "A patient's physiologic age is more important than his or her chronologic age.”