Robotic colorectal surgery in elderly patients: A single‐centre experience

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes in elderly patients (age ≥ 65 years) undergoing robotic colorectal surgery (RCRS) in comparison with non‐elderly patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data was collected on elderly and non‐elderly patients who underwent RCRS from a prospectively maintained database. RESULTS: A total of 89 elderly and 73 non‐elderly patients were identified. No statistically significant differences in postoperative complication, reoperation, wound infection, anastomotic leak or mortality were observed. The median length of stay was 1 day longer in elderly patients (p = 0.007). Subgroup analysis of octogenarians demonstrated outcomes that compared favourably with younger patients. CONCLUSION: RCRS in elderly patients is safe and effective, with outcomes that do not differ significantly with younger patients. Older age should not be considered to be a specific exclusion criteria for RCRS. To our knowledge, this study represents the largest in the literature to examine outcomes specifically in elderly patients undergoing RCRS.