title: Outcomes of pancreatic surgery in patients older than 70 years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The proportion of elderly patients is growing rapidly. Knowing the results of pancreatic surgery in this group of patients would help surgeons to make therapeutic decisions. The objective is to evaluate the surgical outcomes of pancreatic resections in patients over 70 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study including patients undergoing pancreatic resection during the period 2009-2014. The sample was divided into 2 groups. G1: Patients under 70 years and G2: Patients older than 70 years. Surgical results between the 2 groups were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy three pancreatic resections were performed, 51 (70%) patients belonged to G1 and 22 (30%) to G2. There were no significant differences between G1 and G2 in terms of operative time and hospitalization days. No significant difference was obtained in the incidence of delayed gastric emptying, pancreatic fistula or biliary fistula. The overall mortality in the series was 4.1% showing difference between both groups, with 2% in G1 and 13.6% in G2 (P=.04). When a sub-analysis in G2 was made, mortality in this group occurred only in patients with significant comorbidities with ASA ≥ 3 (P=.004). Both groups with oncologic disease had similar overall survival and disease-free survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age should not be a limiting factor for pancreatic resections. The elderly have similar results as younger patients and their increased perioperative mortality is due to the presence of important associated comorbidities rather than age as an independent risk factor.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cirugía General, Departamento de Cirugía, Hospital Alemán, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Electronic address: fschlottmann@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schlottmann
authors.affiliation: Sección de Cirugía Hepatobiliopancreática, Departamento de Cirugía, Hospital Alemán, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Mario L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Iovaldi
authors.affiliation: Sección de Cirugía Hepatobiliopancreática, Departamento de Cirugía, Hospital Alemán, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Capitanich
authors.affiliation: Sección de Cirugía Hepatobiliopancreática, Departamento de Cirugía, Hospital Alemán, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McCormack
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D010180:Pancreatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D016577:Pancreaticoduodenectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Cirugía pancreática; Elderly patients; Pacientes añosos; Pancreatic surgery; Resultados quirúrgicos; Surgical outcomes