Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate morbidity, mortality, and survival in octogenarians undergoing open repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (RAAAs) in comparison to younger patients.
Methods: This investigation was a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database from a tertiary referral center. We included all consecutive RAAA patients who underwent open repair from 1990 to 2011. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify predictors of inferior short- and long-term outcomes.
Results: Overall, 463 patients were identified, of whom 138 (30%) were octogenarians (group 2), with a mean age of 84 ± 0.47 years. There were 96 (69%) men and 42 women (31%). There were more women in group 2 (31%) compared with the <80-year-old patients of group 1 (14%) (P < 0.001). The 30-day mortality for group 2 was 43.5% compared with 28.0% for group 1 (P < 0.001). Preoperatively, 63% of group 1 patients presented with shock compared with 65% of those in group 2 (P = 0.751). There was no difference between the two groups in terms of preoperative systolic blood pressure (SBP), duration of operation, and intraoperative blood loss (P > 0.05). Median preoperative hemoglobin (P < 0.001) and creatinine (P = 0.031) levels were significantly different between the groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative complications and length of hospital stay. Median long-term survival for octogenarians (group 2) was 5.4 years compared with 12.4 years for the younger patient group (group 1) (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified age as an independent predictor of 30-day mortality (odds ratio [OR] = 1.154, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.037-1.285) and inferior long-term survival (OR = 1.074, 95% CI 1.011-1.141). History of cigarette smoking also predicted worse long-term outcomes (OR = 3.044, 95% CI 1.318-7.032) as did multiorgan failure in the postoperative course (OR = 1.363, 95% CI 1.080-14.130).
Conclusions: Advanced age is associated with high surgical mortality; however, for octogenarians surviving surgical repair, long-term outcome is acceptable. Therefore, with responsible decision-making, surgical intervention is justifiable in the elderly. Smoking and multiorgan failure were both predictive of worse survival.
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