Defining the Burden of Emergency General Surgery in the Elderly Today

As the population ages, surgeons will be increasingly tasked with managing frail patients in the emergency setting. Emergency general surgery (EGS) in the elderly is a particular challenge for surgeons but it also has great clinical and health-care system implications. Older patients undergoing EGS experience high rates of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Predicting risk of surgery in elderly patients is very difficult. Frailty is an important potential risk factor, but it is difficult to be monitored or managed in the emergency setting. It is essential to implement strategies that might improve perioperative outcomes in frail EGS patients such as frailty assessment, involvement of multidisciplinary teams, and development of communication skills.