Frailty is a syndrome characterized by vulnerability to stressors due to loss of physiological reserve. In recent years, many researches have confirmed that frailty is a risk factor for postoperative complications of cardiac surgery, such as readmission, adverse cardiovascular events, and death in elderly patients. This paper reviews the concept of frailty, the relationship between frailty and cardiac surgery, the frailty assessment and intervention strategy in perioperative period, aimed at providing decision making basis for the risk stratification and perioperative management of cardiac surgery in elderly patients.
Objective To discuss whether age has an influence on short-term effect of intersphincteric resection (ISR) for elderly (≥75 years old) patients with ultra-low rectal or canal cancer or not. Methods From February 2016 to February 2017, 196 patients with ultra-low rectal or canal cancer received ISR in the Gastrointestinal Surgery Center of West China Hospital were eligible to include in this study, then they were divided into ≥75 years old group and <75 years old group according to the patients’ age. The intraoperative index, postoperative index, and complications rate were compared between these two groups. Results There were 113 cases in the ≥75 years old group, 83 cases in the <75 years old group, the baselines such as the gender composition, body mass index, tumor histology type, differentiation degree, tumor size, and distance from the anal margin had no significant differences ( P>0.05), but the preoperative anaesthetized ASA grade, proportions of pulmonary insufficiency, hypoproteinemia, anemia, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiac insufficiency of the ≥75 years old group were significantly higher than those of the <75 years old group (P<0.05). The operative time, intraoperative bleeding, and total complications rate had no differences between these two groups (P>0.05), the first exhaust time, the first eating time, the first defecation time, the first ambulation time, and hospitalization time of the ≥75 years old group were significantly longer than those of the <75 years old group (P=0.023, 0.037, 0.019, 0.020, and 0.012, respectively). There were no significant differences in the incidences of the anastomotic leakage, perianal infection, intestinal obstruction, and wound infection between these two groups (P>0.05). All the 196 patients were followed-up with an average follow-up of 7 months, there were 4 cases of recurrent patients, of which 3 were in the ≥75 years old group and 1 in the <75 years old group; there were 3 cases of death, of which 2 were in the ≥75 years old group and 1 in the <75 years old group. Conclusions Short-term recovery of elderly patients with ultra-low rectal or canal cancer is slower than younger patients because of poor preoperative conditions. ISR surgery is still safe and effective for elderly patients with ultra-low rectal or canal cancer and postoperative complications rate has no obvious increase, but it needs a surgeon’s skilled operation technology and multi-disciplinary team cooperation.
Objective To observe the short-term efficacy and the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events in patients aged over 80 years with multivessel coronary artery disease following two-stage Hybrid surgery. Methods We retrospectively analysed the clinical data of 67 patients aged over 80 years with multivessel coronary artery disease undergoing surgery in our hospital. The were 44 males and 23 females with an anverage age of 82.4±2.1 years. According to the operation pattern, the patients were divided into two groups: a two-stage Hybrid surgery group (n=29, 19 males, 10 females, aged 83.2±3.1 years) and a traditional thoracotomy group (n=38, 25 males, 13 females, aged 83.3±3.4 years). We compared the clinical results of perioperation between the two groups. Results Conpared with the traditional thoracotomy group, the two-stage Hybrid surgery group had shorter postoperative duration of mechanical ventilation (6.7±2.2 hvs. 18.2±3.4 h) and hospitalization stay (15.7±3.0 dvs. 20.7±5.6 d) and had less volume of chest drainage during the first 24 h after surgery (176.5±32.3 mlvs. 443.8±51.5 ml). The incidence of adverse cardiovascular events in the two-stage Hybrid surgery group was significantly lower than that in the traditional thoracotomy group (6.9%vs. 23.1%, P<0.05). Conclusion The two-stage Hybrid surgery in patients aged over 80 years with multivessel coronary artery disease can significantly decrease the postoperative incidence of adverse cardiovascular events, shorten the postoperative duration of mechanical ventilation and hospitalization stay, reduce the volume of chest drainage during the first 24 h after surgery and improve prognosis of surgery for the elderly patients.
Senile sarcopenia has become a prominent problem affecting the normal life and self-care ability of the elderly. More attention to the research on senile sarcopenia is conducive to its prevention and treatment. This article states information details about the epidemiology, influencing factors and mechanism, clinical manifestations and diagnostic criteria, evaluation methods and rehabilitation therapy, so as to provide reference for research on elderly sarcopenia.
ObjectiveTo explore the influence of sentinel lymph node (SLN) status on the prognosis of elderly breast cancer patients ≥70 years old, and to screen patients who may be exempted from sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), so as to guide clinical individualized treatment for such patients. MethodsA retrospective analysis was made on 270 breast cancer patients aged ≥70 years old who underwent SLNB in the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from 2012 to 2021. The clinicopathological characteristics of the total cases were compared according to the status of SLN. Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the survival curve, and the influence of SLN status on the overall survival (OS) time, local recurrence (LR) and distant metastasis (DM) of patients were analyzed, and used log-rank to compare between groups. At the same time, the patients with hormone receptor (HR) positive were analyzed by subgroup. The differences between groups were compared by single factor χ2 test, and multivariate Cox regression model was used to analyze and determine the factors affecting OS, LR and DM of patients. ResultsThe age of 270 patients ranged from 70 to 95 years, with a median age of 74 years. One hundred and sixty-nine (62.6%) patients’ tumor were T2 stage. Invasive ductal carcinoma accounted for 83.0%, histological gradeⅡ accounted for 74.4%, estrogen receptor positive accounted for 78.1%, progesterone receptor positive accounted for 71.9%, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative accounted for 83.3%. The number of SLNs obtained by SLNB were 1-9, and the median was 3. SLN was negative in 202 cases (74.8%) and positive in 68 cases (25.2%). Thirty-five patients (13.0%) received axillary lymph node dissection. There was no significant difference in LR between the SLN positive group and the SLN negative group (P>0.05), but the SLN negative group had fewer occurrences of DM (P=0.001) and longer OS time (P=0.009) compared to the SLN positive group. The results of univariate and multivariate analysis suggest that the older the patient, the shorter the OS time and the greater the risk of DM. Analysis of HR positive subgroups showed that SLN status did not affect patient survival and prognosis, but age was still associated with poor OS time and DM. ConclusionsFor patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of breast in T1-T2 stage, HR positive, clinical axillary lymph nodes negative, and age ≥70 years old, SLNB may be exempted. According to the patient’s performance or tumor biological characteristics, patients who need systemic adjuvant chemotherapy may still consider SLNB.
Objective To assess safety and feasibility of laparoscopic gastrectomy in the elderly with gastric cancer. Methods From January 2010 to September 2014, 146 elderly (age ≥65 years old) patients with gastric cancer underwent radical operations in the Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences and Guangdong General Hospital were collected, then were divided into a laparoscopy-assisted radical gastrectomy (LAG group, n=40) and an open radical gastrectomy (OG group, n=106) according to the operative mode. The differences of intraoperative and postoperative situation, and the postoperative complications were analyzed between the LAG group and the OG group. Results ① The age, gender, body mass index, albumin, ASA grade, tumor location, differentiation degree, TNM stage, radical gastrectomy, and digestive tract anastomosis had no significant differences between the LAG group and the OG group (P>0.05). ② None of the patients died during the operative period and there was no significant difference in the mean number of retrieved lymph nodes between these two groups (P>0.05). In the aspects of the intraoperative blood loss, the first flatus time or the first feeding time, and the postoperative hospitalization stay in the LAG group were significantly less than those in the OG group (P<0.05). For the operative time, the OG group showed a distinctive advantage with a significantdifference than the LAG group (P<0.05). ③ The rate of postoperative complication in the LAG group and OG group was 10.0% (4/40) and 15.1% (16/106) respectively, and the difference was not significant (χ2=0.64, P=0.591), the grade of the Clavien-Dindo complications had no significant difference (χ2=0.63, P=0.592). ④ None of the patients died following operation in the LAG group and one case died in the OG group because of the respiratory and circulatory failure caused by the pulmonary embolism. Conclusion Preliminary results of limited cases in this study show that LAG in the elderly patients with gastric cancer could reduce intraoperative blood loss, shorten the first flatus time or the first feeding time, and postoperative hospitalization stay, could obtain same radical effect without increasing incidence of postoperative complications as compared with OG, so it is safety and feasible.
Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of T lymphocyte subsets, natural killer (NK) cells and CD19+ B cells in the elderly with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) before and after treatment. Methods The elderly ITP patients diagnosed and treated in the Songjiang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine (preparatory stage) between January 2014 and June 2019 were retrospectively selected as the observation group. The healthy elderly in the same period were selected as the control group. According to the treatment, the observation group was divided into effective group and ineffective group. The expression levels of T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+), NK cells and CD19+ B cells were observed and analyzed. Results A total of 75 subjects were included, including 35 in the observation group and 40 in the control group. The total effective rate was 85.71% (30/35). Before treatment, the expression levels of T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+) in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in other indexes between the two groups (P>0.05). After treatment, except for CD8+, the expression levels of T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+) in the observation group were higher than those before treatment (P<0.05). The expression levels of NK cells and CD19+ B cells were lower than those before treatment (P<0.05). The expression levels of T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+) in the effective group were higher than those before treatment (P<0.05), while the expression level of CD19+ B cells was lower than that before treatment (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in other indexes before and after treatment (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression levels of T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+), NK cells and CD19+ B cells in the ineffective group before and after treatment (P>0.05). Conclusions T lymphocyte subsets are abnormal in elderly ITP patients. The immune abnormality of T lymphocyte may be one of the reasons for elderly patients with ITP. With the improvement of therapeutic effect, immune cell subsets have also been improved.
ObjectiveTo analyze the clinicopathologic features of elderly patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and explore the influencing factors of postoperative prognosis.MethodsThe TNBC patients who were pathologically confirmed in the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from January 1st, 2013 to January 1st, 2014 were retrospectively collected. The differences of clinicopathologic characteristics bwteeen elderly and young and middle-aged patients (according to the standard of 65 years old) were analyzed. At the same time, Cox risk regression model was used to analyze the prognostic factors of elderly patients with TNBC.ResultsA total of 142 patients with TNBC were collected, including 53 elderly patients and 89 young and middle-aged patients. There were no significant differences in terms of family history, histological grade, clinical TNM stage, T stage, axillary lymph node status, and postoperative chemotherapy between the elderly patients and young and middle-aged patients (P>0.05). The rate of breast conserving surgery in the young and middle-aged patients was higher than that in the elderly patients (χ2=4.665, P=0.031). All patients were followed up to 60 months, the recurrence and metastasis rate and the mortality of the elderly patients were lower than those of the young and middle-aged patients (recurrence and metastasis rate: 30.2% versus 47.2%, χ2=3.974, P=0.046; mortality: 11.3% versus 28.1%, χ2=5.474, P=0.019), and the 5-year disease-free survival rate and 5-year overall survival rate of the elderly patients were higher than those of the young and middle-aged patients (5-year disease-free survival rate: 69.8% versus 52.8%, χ2=4.106, P=0.037; 5-year overall survival rate: 88.7% versus 71.9%, χ2=5.209, P=0.022). The tumor T stage (χ2=14.806, P=0.001) and status of axillary lymph node metastasis (χ2=8.149, P=0.043) were associated with postoperative recurrence and metastasis in the elderly patients with TNBC by univariate analysis, and which were the independent risk factors for the recurrence and metastasis in the elderly patients with TNBC by multivariate analysis.ConclusionsPrognosis of elderly patients with TNBC is better than that of young and middle-aged patients. Tumor T stage and axillary lymph node status are independent risk factors affecting prognosis of elderly patients with TNBC.
ObjectiveTo analyze the predictive value of thrombelastogram (TEG) on venous thromboembolism in elderly patients undergoing cardiac surgery.MethodsA total of 64 patients with venous thromboembolism after cardiac surgery in our hospital from March 2014 to March 2018 were selected as a pathogenesis group, including 38 males and 26 females, aged 61-73 (67.3±5.8) years. And 158 patients without venous thromboembolism who underwent cardiac surgery during the same period were selected as a control group, including 82 males and 76 females, aged 59-75 (65.9±7.1) years. Routine coagulation parameters such as plasma prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (Fib), D-dimer (D-D), platelet count (PLT) and various indicators of TEG were measured in two groups. The correlation analysis was performed on the obtained results, and the specificity and sensitivity of conventional coagulation indicators and TEG indicators for venous thromboembolism were analyzed and compared.ResultsThere were significant differences between the two groups in routine coagulation parameters and TEG (P<0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for each indicator was >0.5, which was of diagnostic significance. When the sensitivity>90%, the highest specificity value was also selected. The sensitivity and specificity of each indicator of TEG were greater than those of conventional coagulation indicators. The reaction time (R) was positively correlated with APTT in all indicators of TEG, and coagulation speed (K) was negatively correlated with Fib and PLT. Maximum thrombus intensity (MA) and Angle were positively correlated with Fib and PLT (all P<0.05). There was no correlation between TEG indicators and D-D.ConclusionThe TEG has higher predictive value for postoperative venous thromboembolism in elderly patients undergoing cardiac surgery than conventional coagulation tests. However, D-D level tests have unique diagnostic value in the diagnosis of venous thromboembolism.
Objective To investigate the difference in the effectiveness between proximal femoral nail anti-rotation (PFNA) and proximal femoral locking compression plate (PFLCP) for intertrochanteric fracture in elderly patients combined with hemiplegia due to cerebral infarction. Methods The clinical data of 67 cases of intertrochanteric femoral fractures combined with hemiplegia due to cerebral infarction between October 2013 and January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 32 cases were treated with PFNA internal fixation (PFNA group), and 35 cases were treated with PFLCP internal fixation (PFLCP group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, injury side, modified Evans classification of fracture, preoperative medical disease, and interval from injury to operation between 2 groups (P>0.05). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative bed time, incidence of perioperative complications, time of fracture healing, and hip Harris score at 6 months and 1 year after operation were recorded and compared. Results Both groups were followed up 12-24 months with an average of 14 months. Compared with the PFLCP group, the PFNA group had shorter operation time, less intraoperative blood loss, and shorter bed time, and the differences were significant (P<0.05). X-ray films showed that the fractures healed in both groups. The fracture healing time of the PFNA group was shorter than that of the PFLCP group, but the difference was not significant (t=0.743, P=0.460). During hospitalization, there were 3 cases of pulmonary infection, 2 cases of deep venous thrombosis of lower limbs, and 1 case of urinary tract infection in the PFNA group; and the incidence of perioperative complications was 18.8% (6/32). There were 4 cases of pulmonary infection, 6 cases of deep venous thrombosis of lower limbs, 1 case of recurrent cerebral infarction, and 1 case of stress ulcer in the PFLCP group; and the incidence of perioperative complications was 34.3% (12/35). There was no significant difference in the incidence of perioperative complications between 2 groups (χ2=2.053, P=0.152). At 6 months after operation, the Harris total score and individual scores in the PFNA group were higher than those in the PFLCP group (P<0.05). At 1 year after operation, there was no significant difference in the Harris total score and pain score, life ability score, and walking ability score between the PFNA group and the PFLCP group (P>0.05); However, the joint deformity and activity score of the PFNA group was significantly better than that of the PFLCP group (t=4.112, P=0.000). Conclusion For intertrochanteric fracture in elderly patients with cerebral infarction hemiplegia, the PFNA has shorter operative time, less intraoperative blood loss, shorter bed time after operation, and better short-term hip function when compared with the PFLCP.