Complications After Mohs Micrographic Surgery in Patients Aged 85 and Older.

Background: As the US population ages, safe surgical procedures are necessary for treatment of cutaneous neoplasms in very elderly patients.

Objective: To determine the incidence of complications associated with Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) in patients aged 85 and older, and the risk factors that predispose to complications.

Methods: A 9-year retrospective chart review of patients aged 85 and older who underwent MMS at our institution between 07/2007 and 11/2016 was performed. Six types of complications associated with scalpel-based cutaneous surgery were recorded, as well as patient, tumor, and repair characteristics.

Results: This study included 949 patients totaling in 1683 MMS cases. There were 30 complications: infection (N = 11), wound dehiscence (N = 6), hematoma (N = 6), hemorrhage (N = 5), flap necrosis (N = 1), and graft necrosis (N = 1), resulting in an overall complication rate of 1.78%. Independent risk factors associated with a statistically higher incidence of complications were anticoagulant use (odds ratio [OR], 2.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26-6.13; p = .012), extremity location (OR, 2.80; 95% CI, 1.19-6.54; p = .018), greater than 2 MMS stages (OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.08-5.46; p = .032), and flap repair (OR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.05-4.90; p = .036).

Conclusion: Mohs micrographic surgery is a safe procedure for treatment of cutaneous neoplasms in the very elderly.