Introduction:

Currently, the increase in the aging population associated with the development of anesthesiology, surgery and intensive care has generated an increase in the number of older adults with acute abdomen requiring urgent surgical treatment. A review was carried out in bibliographic databases, and 25 documents were selected in English and Spanish.

Objective:

To analyze the clinical, epidemiological and therapeutic characteristics that identify older adult patients with infectious surgical complications after emergency abdominal surgery.

Development:

At the biological level, changes occur due to the reduction of the physiological reserve of the elderly: respiratory, cardiovascular, genitourinary, digestive, endocrine-metabolic and acid-base balance that makes them vulnerable to surgical stress. Postoperative complications are an important indicator of quality: they delay the evolution of the disease, prolong hospital stay and significantly increase morbidity and mortality rates in patients of this age group.

Conclusions:

Despite the increase in the number of older adults with acute abdomen who require urgent surgical treatment, age should not be considered as a limitation to perform the operation. In addition to the specific and preventive treatment of complications after emergency abdominal surgery, the comorbidities and frailty present in these patients require adequate preoperative, operative and postoperative compensation, in order to guarantee the satisfactory evolution of these patients.

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