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Background Older adults (≥ 65 yr) are the fastest growing population and are presenting in increasing numbers for acute surgical care. Emergency surgery is frequently life threatening for older patients. Our objective was to identify predictors of mortality and poor outcome among elderly patients undergoing emergency general surgery. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 65–80 years undergoing emergency general surgery between 2009 and 2010 at a tertiary care centre. Demographics, comorbidities, in-hospital complications, mortality and disposition characteristics of patients were collected. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify covariate-adjusted predictors of in-hospital mortality and discharge of patients home. Results Our analysis included 257 patients with a mean age of 72 years; 52% were men. In-hospital mortality was 12%. Mortality was associated with patients who had higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class (odds ratio [OR] 3.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43–10.33, p = 0.008) and in-hospital complications (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.32–2.83, p = 0.001). Nearly two-thirds of patients discharged home were younger (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.85–0.99, p = 0.036), had lower ASA class (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.27–0.74, p = 0.002) and fewer in-hospital complications (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.53–0.90, p = 0.007). Conclusion American Society of Anesthesiologists class and in-hospital complications are perioperative predictors of mortality and disposition in the older surgical population. Understanding the predictors of poor outcome and the importance of preventing in-hospital complications in older patients will have important clinical utility in terms of preoperative counselling, improving health care and discharging patients home.

Background The aim of this study was to assess perioperative outcomes in obese patients undergoing emergency surgery. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all adult (&spigt; 17 yr) patients admitted to the acute care emergency surgery service at the University of Alberta Hospital between January 2009 and December 2011 who had a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher. Patients were divided into subgroups for analysis based on “severe” (BMI 35–39.9) and “morbid” obesity (BMI ≥ 40). Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality after controlling for confounding factors. Results Data on 111 patients (55% women, median BMI 39) were included in the final analysis. Intensive care unit (ICU) support was required for 40% of patients. Postoperative complications occurred in 42% of patients, and 31% required reoperation. Overall in-hospital mortality was 17%. Morbidly obese patients had increased rates of reoperation (40% v. 23%, p = 0.05) and increased lengths of stay compared with severely obese patients (14.5 v. 6.0 d, p = 0.09). Age (odds ratio [OR] 1.08 per increment) and preoperative ICU stay (OR 12) were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality after controlling for confounding, but BMI was not. Conclusion Obese patients requiring emergency surgery represent a complex patient population at high risk for perioperative morbidity and mortality. Greater resources are required for their care, including ICU support, repeat surgery and prolonged ICU stay. Future studies could help identify predictors of reoperation and strategies to optimize nutrition, rehabilitation and resource allocation.