title: Prognosis following emergency surgery for ulcerative colitis in elderly patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Since 2000, the incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) in patients over 60 years old has been rapidly increasing. We reviewed our surgical experience of elderly patients with UC treated at our hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients aged 60 years or older at the time of surgery were defined as "elderly". The medical records of all elderly patients who underwent surgery for UC during a 26-year period were retrospectively analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prognosis of elderly patients who underwent emergency surgery was extremely poor: 8 (26.7 %) of 30 such patients died within 30 postoperative days (PODs), whereas only 1 (0.88 %) of 114 who underwent elective surgery died within 30 PODs. Respiratory tract infection and sepsis resulting from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or mycotic infection were the most common causes of death after emergency surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prognosis of elderly UC patients undergoing emergency surgery is very poor; thus, physicians and surgeons should collaborate to treat severe and fulminant disease, to optimize the timing of surgery. Early decisions about emergency surgery for UC will reduce postoperative mortality, especially in elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan, ikeuci2s@hyo-med.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikeuchi
authors.forename: Motoi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uchino
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bando
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takesue
authors.forename: Naohiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000401:mortality*; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures / Q000401:mortality; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
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