Total gastrectomy in the elderly patient.

Postoperative morbidity and mortality were studied in 72 patients who consecutively underwent total gastrectomy for primary gastric malignancy. Patients aged greater than or equal to 70 years (n = 32) were compared with younger patients (n = 40). Two patients in both groups died postoperatively, making the surgical mortality 6.3% and 5%, respectively. Major surgical complications arose postoperatively in 12 cases. Conservative measures (balloon dilation of anastomotic stricture, protracted drainage, and puncture and drainage of intraabdominal abscess) sufficed in five cases, while reoperation was required in seven. One of these seven patients died. The remaining three deaths were due to myocardial infarction, cerebral vascular insult and exudative pericarditis, respectively. The median postoperative hospital stay was 14 days in the younger and 15 days in the older patient group. Approximately half of the patients in both groups were alive 2 years postoperatively. Total gastrectomy is a meaningful and reasonably safe operation for primary gastric malignancy also in elderly patients.