Age not a factor for post-surgical complications
Researchers identify a number of potentially modifiable risk factors
16th January 2018
Conventional wisdom dictates that age is a risk factor for post-surgical complications, but the authors of a large systematic review and meta-analysis beg to differ.
They say that while frailty, cognitive impairment and smoking are definitely prognostic risk factors, age in itself is not.
Their findings, taken from an analysis of 44 prospective studies, are timely as the number of older adults requiring elective surgery increases globally.
The authors report that the most commonly reported postoperative complications are pneumonia, wound infection and