Unplanned hospital readmission of older adults having undergone digestive surgery - 11/04/25

Highlights |
• | Older patients having undergone digestive surgery are particularly at risk of unplanned readmission, due mainly to postoperative complications or overall frailty. |
• | Geriatric assessment of older patients preoperatively identified as at risk of complications and rehospitalization is indispensable. |
• | Preoperative management should be accompanied by a prehabilitation program, the objectives being to limit the impact of the surgery, to reduce postoperative complications, and to decrease the risk of readmission. |
• | Improved coordination of the transition between hospital and home environment decreases the risk of early readmission of older patients. |
• | Perioperative management involving geriatricians should be reinforced. |
Summary |
Decreasing the risk of unplanned hospital readmission in older adults is of major concern in public health. If this risk is heightened in comparison with the general population in those having undergone digestive surgery, it is due not only to more frequent occurrence of postoperative complications, but also to overall frailty, which combines comorbidities, functional disorders and dependency. Moreover, given that any unplanned readmission is a major event in the life of an elderly patient, counteraction to its consequences (immobilization syndrome, malnutrition, cognitive disorders, loss of autonomy…) must be considered by the entire surgical team, in coordination with geriatric specialists, as the priority. Readmission prevention is based on a dedicated, comprehensive geriatric assessment accompanied by an individualized, multidisciplinary prehabilitation program. The intervention of geriatricians before and after surgery is likely to improve perioperative management of the elderly patient, thereby reducing the frequency and impact of hospital readmission.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Keywords : Elderly, Surgery, General, Unplanned Readmission, Assessment, Geriatric
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