Seniors Who Fell Recently May Fare Worse After Surgery
Study found more disability, complications and longer hospital stays for these patients.
According to a new study, older adults who experience a fall within the six months before major surgery have longer hospital stays and higher rates of complications and disability after their surgery.
Researchers looked at 208 patients, average age 74, who had colorectal or heart surgery. Of those patients, 34 percent had suffered at least one fall in the six months before their operation.
Among patients who had colorectal surgery, more than one complication occurred in 58 percent of those who had a fall and in 27 percent of those who did not fall. Complications included heart, lung and kidney problems, stroke, further surgery, blood clots and infections.
Patients who had a fall also spent nearly three times as many days in the hospital as those who hadn't fallen.
In addition, 59 percent of those who fell within the six months prior to surgery required institutional care after their surgery, compared with 4.2 percent of those who did not fall.
Similar findings were seen in patients who had heart surgery.
In previous studies that a history of falls predicts poor long-term outcomes but we have never looked at immediate pre-op assessment related to post-op outcomes. "This is the first time that falls as a stand-alone risk marker have been used for predicting outcomes in older adults.
Our goal is to help with preoperative and postoperative planning. If it's likely that a patient will need to enter a nursing home for several weeks after an operation, the patient and family can evaluate various facilities beforehand to see which one would best address their specific needs. It's important for a patient to be at a place that they've chosen and know what to expect after surgery.
More than one-third of U.S. surgeries are performed on people aged 65 and older, and an increasing number of these patients are in their 80s.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services
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