Department of Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
Am J Surg. 2011 Sep;202(3):286-90. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2010.08.017.
The incidence of appendicitis is highest in young patients, but the number of elderly patients with appendicitis appears to be increasing. The authors evaluated a statewide experience to assess the effect of age on resource utilization and outcomes for this common disease.
All discharges from Kentucky hospitals for appendicitis were identified. Patients from rehabilitation hospitals, those with inflammatory bowel disease, and those undergoing incidental appendectomy were excluded.
Young (aged ≤ 29 years) and middle-aged (aged 30-64 years) patients each constituted 45% of all patients with appendicitis. Length of stay, hospital charges, and frequency of complicated appendicitis all increased with age. Although elderly patients (aged ≥ 80 years) underwent laparoscopic appendectomy as frequently (60%) as younger patients, they were more likely to undergo complicated open procedures.
Older patients represent a substantial population of patients with appendicitis, with more complicated operative procedures, increased lengths of stay, and increased resource utilization.
阑尾炎的发病率在年轻患者中最高，但老年阑尾炎患者的数量似乎在增加。作者评估了全州范围内的经验，以评估年龄对这种常见疾病的资源利用和结果的影响。
确定了肯塔基州所有医院因阑尾炎而出院的患者。排除康复医院的患者、患有炎症性肠病的患者和进行偶然阑尾切除术的患者。
年轻（≤ 29 岁）和中年（30-64 岁）患者各占所有阑尾炎患者的 45%。住院时间、住院费用和复杂性阑尾炎的发生率均随年龄增长而增加。尽管老年（≥ 80 岁）患者进行腹腔镜阑尾切除术的频率（60%）与年轻患者相同，但他们更有可能进行复杂的开放性手术。
老年患者是阑尾炎患者的一个重要人群，他们的手术过程更复杂，住院时间更长，资源利用更多。
