Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Characterisation of older patients that require, but do not undergo, emergency laparotomy: a multicentre cohort study
Authors' conclusion
This study reports that the NoLap patient population present significant medical challenges because of their extreme levels of comorbidity, frailty, and physiology. Despite these complexities a fifth remained alive at 90 days.
Study context
- Population
- Older adults (≥65 yr) admitted with a condition treatable by emergency laparotomy but not operated on, 64 UK surgical centres, 2021
- Participants
- 750 adults · 64 UK centres
- Outcome
- 90-day mortality
- Follow-up
- 90 days
Methodological detailsmulticentre, consecutive recruitment
- Multicentre
- Consecutive recruitment
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Mortality
90-day mortality
79%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Patient characteristics
- Female
- 452 patients, 60%
- Median age (IQR), yr
- 83.0 (77.0-88.8)
- Frail
- 523 patients, 70%
- Severe comorbidity
- 750 patients, 100%
- CT scanning
- 99%
Commonest diagnoses
- Perforation
- 26%
- Small bowel obstruction
- 17%
- Ischaemic bowel
- 13%
Place of death and survivor destination · 90 days
- Died in hospital
- 77%
- Survived to 90 days
- 21%
- Survivors returned home with increased care requirements
- 77%
- Ischaemic bowel patients died early
Original publication
Characterisation of older patients that require, but do not undergo, emergency laparotomy: a multicentre cohort study. Br J Anaesth. Published 4 October 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →