Researchers analyzed 1,341 adults, 66 years or older, who were enrolled in the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study. The patients had undergone one of three types of major surgery: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, coronary artery bypass graft and colectomy.
Of the 1,341 surgery patients, 223 (17 percent) died within one year of surgery.
Researchers found the following factors were significantly associated with death within one year after surgery:
● Requiring assistance with routine daily activities, such as feeding and dressing themselves.
● Requiring assistance with organizational activities, such as managing finances.
● Inability to walk several blocks
● Suffering from dementia
● Suffering from depression
More articles on patient safety and outcomes:
47 practices for safer care from AHRQ
How Northwell improved resuscitation outcomes in the ED
Top 10 patient safety concerns of 2020 from ECRI Institute
