Introduction:

The surgical management of the geriatric patient has always represented a great challenge because such is considered as "high risk."

Objective:

To describe the clinical, therapeutic and epidemiological characteristics concerning infectious surgical complications in older adults after emergency abdominal surgery.

Methods:

An analytical observational study of cases and controls was carried out with older adult patients who presented surgical complications after emergency abdominal surgery, in the period from 2019 to 2021, at the general surgery service of Hospital Provincial Saturnino Lora, of Santiago de Cuba. The study work was conducted with a sample of complicated cases and another sample of controls, the latter represented by those who did not suffer complications. The analyzed variables were age, sex, comorbidity, isolated germs and required treatment.

Results:

Surgical complications in emergency abdominal surgery affect mainly older adult patients at early ages, from both sexes and with a history of endocrine or cardiovascular diseases. Superficial and deep surgical-site infection is the predominant complication. The most frequently isolated germs were Escherichia coli, Pseudomona aureoginosa and Klebsiella. Pharmacological treatment followed by surgical treatment was used in most of the patients, with the aim of giving a solution to their complications.

Conclusions:

Comorbidity is the main risk factor for the appearance of infectious surgical complications in older adults after emergency abdominal surgery, primarily for superficial and deep surgical-site infection. The causal germs are related to the skin microbiota, according to the site where the incision is made, as well as the microbiota of the organs where the surgical intervention is performed.

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