Increased costs of perioperative risk assessment for thyroid surgery in elderly people (over 80 years) presenting with benign disease.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Evaluate how surgical treatment of benign thyroid disease in elderly people is prone to induce an increase of costs in the next future due to the aging process of the population.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis has been performed on a total of 116 patients operated between January 2007 and September 2011, divided in a group of 58 patients aged over 80 years (Group A) and 58 patients younger than 80 years (Group B). The analyzed data included age, preoperative diagnosis, severe co-morbidities, procedures other than standard needed to evaluate anaesthesiological risk, postoperative hospital stay, complications, duration of postoperative intensive care monitoring, pathologic characteristics, and costs of anaesthesiological risk assessment.

RESULTS

Statistical analysis of collected data showed that the costs related to perioperative risk assessment (p value < 0.001) and the duration of hospital stay (p value < 0.001) were higher in Group A than in Group B. Instead, surgery-related complications were not statistically different.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite feasibility and safety of modern surgical techniques, indications for surgery in elderly patients affected by benign thyroid disease should be reserved mainly for those patients with severe medical necessity.