NELA Webinar: Care of the Elderly
The NELA team will be hosting a free webinar on Thursday, 24th June from 13.00 - 14.00 on emergency laparotomy in older people.
An increasing number of older people are undergoing emergency laparotomy, with 57% aged 65 years or over. Older patients entered into NELA have longer length of hospital stay and higher 30-day and 90-day mortality than younger people (15.3% vs 4.9% and 20.4% vs 7.2% respectively). There is also an association between frailty and increased 90-day mortality following emergency laparotomy.
Geriatrician-led comprehensive geriatric assessment and optimisation has been shown to reduce mortality, length of hospital stay, and postoperative medical complications. NELA data shows only one in five older patients presenting for emergency laparotomy have a frailty assessment, and just one in three are reviewed by a geriatrician.
This webinar will outline the NELA data and research evidence for the care of older people having an emergency laparotomy and outline the best practice in managing this at-risk cohort.
Speakers include:
Dr Tanuja Shah, Consultant Anaesthetist and President Age Anaesthesia Association
Dr Arturo Vilches-Moraga, Consultant in Elderly Medicine, Salford Royal Foundation Trust
NELA Project Team
