Abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy in the octogenarian.

The risks, results, and postoperative quality of life were evaluated in 11 patients aged 80 years or older who underwent resection of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The operative mortality was 9% (1/11). Three patients underwent urgent operation, 1 for impending rupture, 1 for contained rupture, and 1 for rupture into the sigmoid colon. Preoperative risk factors such as hypertension, electrocardiographic abnormalities, and respiratory dysfunction were found in about half of the patients. Neither operative mortality nor long-term survival were influenced by the preoperative risk factors. The quality of life enjoyed by these patients was not adversely affected by AAA resection. Surgical treatment of AAA should be undertaken in selected octogenarians to prevent rupture. Physiologic status rather than chronologic age should determine which patients undergo aneurysm resection.