Surgical Results In The Elderly At Auck. Hospital

FACTORS AFFECTING THE SURGICAL RESULTS IN THE ELDERLY AT AUCKLAND HOSPITAL

Canberra, 7 May 2001/ MediaNet International-AsiaNet/-- Elderly patients should not be denied major abdominal surgery because of their age alone, an investigation into the surgical results of aged patients at the Auckland Hospital has revealed.

Rather it was the length and timing of the operation that had a greater effect on patients results and patients who underwent elective surgery did better than patients who had emergency surgery.

Dr Falah Haddawi studied the results of 1141 patients who had 1248 operations at the Auckland Hospital in New Zealand between January 1997 and November 2000. He will present these results at the Annual Scientific Congress of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in Canberra today.

"The duration of the operation and the medical state of the patient prior to surgery, not age, are the factors that determine how well the patients does.

"The other major factor that effects results after surgery is whether you are prepared for the operation or not. In an emergency there is not time to prepare the patient from a physical point of view, and they do not do as well as a patients who have elective surgery and had been prepared for the operation" Dr El-Haddawi said.

Dr Haddawi is presenting his paper at the week long Annual Scientific Congress - entitled Surgery Beyond 2001.The Congress has attracted more than 1500 surgeons from Australia and overseas. More than 500 papers will be presented at the conference.

The media is welcome to attend

WHAT: Factors Affecting The Surgical Results In The Elderly At Auckland Hospital

WHEN: Monday 7 May 2001

WHERE: National Convention Centre, Canberra

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