There Is No Increase in Perioperative Mortality After Pancreaticoduodenectomy in Octogenarians: Results From the Swedish National Registry for Tumors in the Pancreatic and Periampullary Region

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this observational study was to compare postoperative mortality and complications between octogenarians and younger patients following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: With the growing elderly population and improved operative and postoperative results, PD is performed more frequently in octogenarians. Despite recent studies, it is uncertain whether elderly patients experience worse postoperative outcomes than younger patients. METHODS: All patients registered in the Swedish National Registry for tumors in the pancreatic and periampullary region from 2010 to 2018 who underwent PD were included in the analysis. RESULTS: Out of 13,936 patients included in the registry, 2793 patients underwent PD and were divided into the following age groups: <70 (n = 1508), 70–79 (n = 1137), and ≥80 (n = 148) years old. There was no significant difference in in-hospital, 30- or 90-day mortality among groups. The 2 older groups had a higher rate of medical and some surgical complications but not a significantly higher rate of complications ≥IIIa according to the Clavien-Dindo classification system. The 2 older groups had lower body mass index, higher American Society of Anesthesiologists and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scores, lower smoking rates, and a higher rate of preoperative biliary drainage than the <70-year-old group (all P < 0.001). The operation time was shorter in the oldest group. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the worse preoperative condition of octogenarians than younger patients, short-term mortality and serious complications were not increased. The shorter operation time, however, may indicate that patients in the oldest group were more strictly selected. With careful preoperative consideration, especially regarding cardiovascular morbidity, more octogenarians can potentially be safely offered PD.