Management and outcome of appendicitis among octogenarians in an English hospital over a five year period

AbstractIntroductionThere is a different perspective on diagnosis and management of common surgical problems in elderly patients. This study aimed to analyse the management of acute appendicitis in octogenarians.MethodsA retrospective study investigated all appendicectomies over five years. Patient records were studied for presenting features, pre-operative imaging, pre-operative ASA grade, site of incision, post-operative complications and length of inpatient stay.ResultsPresenting symptoms included lower abdominal pain (n = 31, 93.9%), anorexia (n = 19, 57.6%), nausea and vomiting (n = 15, 45.5%) and shifting pain (n = 10, 30.3%). Twenty patients had right iliac fossa pain (60.6%) and seven had pyrexia (21.2%). The commonest co-morbidity was cardiac (n = 19; 58%). The average time from admission to theatre was greater in octogenarian patients (1.24 ± 0.90 days) than other patients (0.64 ± 0.71 days), as was the average length of stay at 11 ± 2.6 days compared with 4.3 ± 3.1 days. The majority of octogenarian patients received a Lanz incision (48.3%), with others receiving laparotomy (24.1%), lower midline (13.8%), gridiron (13.8%), and right paramedian (3.4%). Complications were more common in the octogenarian patients (63.6%) than other patients (22.55%). The most common complications in the octogenarian population were post-operative ileus (n = 7; 21%), wound infection (n = 5; 15.2%) and pneumonia (n = 5; 15.2%).ConclusionAppendicitis in the elderly can result in significant morbidity due to the atypical presentation causing an unnecessary delay in treatment. If indicated, age should not be a contraindication for an appendicectomy. The increased likelihood for these patients to have a post-operative complication should be at the forefront of their care