RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Older adults are increasing in number and frequently seeking hospital care for acute illness. We aimed to measure the utilization and safety of ERCP in patients aged 85 and older in our hospital. METHODS: This is a single-site, retrospective, observational and descriptive study. We obtained data about admissions and ERCP utilization from our hospital database. We reviewed medical and procedural records of patients aged 85 or older who underwent ERCP for choledocholithiasis between 2013 and 2019. We evaluated technical and medical adverse events after ERCP. RESULTS: 494 ERCP for choledocholithiasis were performed during this period and 154 (31%) were aged 85 or older. We identified 567 (4.8%) admissions for biliary tract diseases in the older population, and 27% of cases had required ERCP. In older patients, the rate of technical adverse events was around 10%. There was no statistical difference between the older and younger groups regarding technical complications (8.8 vs 9.7%; p=0.7). Besides, in 36% of cases, a medical event, decompensated comorbidity or geriatric syndromes appeared after ERCP. The overall mortality for any cause at six months was nearly 20%, and the survival rate was significantly lower in patients who develop adverse events (technical or medical). CONCLUSIONS: Our hospital experiences frequent utilization of ERCP by patients aged 85 and older. Although technical adverse event rates are similar to those of younger adults, medical events appear frequently. We plan to strengthen our care plans for older adults and hope to reduce the medical complications experienced post ERCP.
