Predictor's factors of infectious surgical complications in older adults after emergency abdominal surgery

Abstract

Introduction: The increase in life expectancy of the population determines the increase in the number of elderly patients undergoing emergency surgery, and its complications. Objective: To identify the predictor's factors of infectious surgical complications in elderly patients after emergency abdominal conventional surgery. Methods: A study of cases and controls was carried out in elderly patients who presented surgical complications after emergency abdominal conventional surgery. Controls were uncomplicated patients. The analysis was carried out using tetrachoric tables; the presence of risk and its statistical significance were computed by analyzing the Odds Ratio (OR), their confidence intervals and the chi-square test with a level of significance a= 0.05. Results: The variables, preoperative physical examination according to the classification of the American Society of Anesthesiologists ASA III and IV (OR= 10.33), contaminated and dirty operations (OR= 28.00), surgical time of 2 hours or more (OR= 49.33) and alterations in nutritional status (OR= 10.33) on adults elderly who underwent emergency abdominal conventional surgery, were more likely to develop an infectious post-surgical complication. Conclusions: The predictor's factors are ASA III and IV preoperative physical status, contaminated and dirty operations, surgical time of 2 hours and more, and nutritional alterations due to excess (obesity) or deficiency (malnutrition).

Keywords

• adulto mayor
• cirugía
• urgencia
• complicaciones
• factores predictores.