Outcome and survival of patients aged 75 years and older compared to younger patients after ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: do the results justify the effort?

We evaluated early mortality (or=0.150 mmol/L in elderly patients with RAAA (p <0.01) were identified to be significant risk factors for operative mortality. We did not encounter significant differences in the distribution of other risk factors in the group of elderly patients compared to the younger group. Between the survivors of the two groups, there were no significant differences in the total length of stay (LOS) and the LOS in the intensive care unit. Advanced age (>or=75) and the combination of this advanced age and serum creatinine of >or=0.150 mmol/L were the only significant (p <0.05) preoperative risk factors in our single-center study. However, we believe that treatment for RAAA can be justified in elderly patients. In our experience, surgical open repair has been life-saving in 33% of patients aged 75 years and older, at a relatively low price for each life, estimated at euro 40,409.