Preoperative Assessment of Geriatric Surgical Patients: Update on Clinical Scales Used for Elective General and Digestive Surgery.

Background: Higher life expectancy in the general population entails a growing interest in the surgical management of diseases affecting elderly patients. Preoperative assessment when planning surgery needs to carefully evaluate physical and functional status of the patient. This review aims to describe the most commonly used scales in the evaluation of elderly patients scheduled for surgery and provides a useful tool to decide the scales that would be better to assess these specific patients.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment: Influence on clinical results after colorectal surgery in advanced age patients.

Introduction: The objective of this work was to analyse the postoperative clinical results of patients surgically treated for colorectal cancer in relation to the results of the preoperative comprehensive geriatric evaluation.

Methods: Observational study in which postoperative morbidity and mortality at 30 and 90 days were analysed in a cohort of patients surgically treated for colorectal cancer according to age groups: group 1) between 75 and 79 years old; group 2) between 80 and 84 years old, and group 3) ≥85 years old. In addition to the anaesthetic risk assessment, patients were assessed with the Karnofsky, Barthel and Pfeiffer indexes.

Survival and quality of life after surgery for colorectal cancer in the elderly: a comparative study.

Background: the aim of this study was to analyze the clinical results of the multidisciplinary management of elderly patients with colorectal cancer in a single center and to describe postoperative quality of life.

Methods: a comparative study was designed to compare the results and quality of life of patients treated in our center for colon cancer, aged from 80 to 84 years (study group) compared to a control group (aged form 75 to 79 years of age). Morbidity, mortality, oncological results and quality of life were analyzed.

Clinical Feasibility of Large Gastrotomy Closure Using a Flexible Tissue Glue Based on N-Butyl-2-Cyanoacrylate: Experimental Study in Pigs.

Background: The use of synthetic adhesives such as cyanoacrylates has been established previously for a wide range of clinical indications. However, more research is necessary to evaluate their use in digestive closures or anastomosis. New chemical formulations developed to achieve more flexibility of synthetic adhesives (i.