A history of at least one fall in the six months prior to a surgical procedure predicts postoperative complications and elevated readmission risk, according to an article in JAMA Surgery.
Researchers evaluated the relationship between fall history and surgical outcomes in 235 adults who were at least 65 years of age undergoing elective colorectal and cardiac surgeries.
Among the one-third of study subjects who had fallen, both 30-day complication (59 percent colorectal, 39 percent cardiac) and 30-day readmission rates were significantly higher for both operations than complication (35 percent colorectal, 15 percent for cardiac) and readmissions rates for study subjects who had not fallen in the six months prior to surgery.
The study concluded findings are significant not only because they have the potential to improve care quality, but also because they have far-reaching implications; one-third of inpatient operations are on geriatric adults.
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