Objective: To estimate the impact of patient’s age on surgical
outcomes in patients undergoing robotic hysterectomy. Methods: A retrospective
review of prospectively collected cohort data for a consecutive series of
patients undergoing gynecologic robotic surgery. Patient’s age and
perioperative variables were collected from the database, charts, and other
hospital records of all patients undergoing robotic hysterectomy. Results: 399
patients underwent robotic surgery for gynecologic disease. 370 patients who
were under age 70 were compared with 29 patients who were over age 70. When
comparing all patients under age 70 with patients over age 70, the mean age was
48.4 and 77 (P < 0.05), mean BMI was 32.1 and 28.3 kg/m2 (P < 0.05), mean procedure time was 185 and 211 minutes (min)
(P = 0.09), mean console time was 123 and 148 min
(P = 0.056), mean OR (Operating room) time was 237 and 273,
mean EBL (Estimated blood loss) was 71 and 65 ml (P = 0.74), Hb
(Hemoglobin) drop was 1.4 and 1.2 (P = 0.45), uterine
weight was 212 and 95 gm (P = 0.98), and length of stay was 1.4 and 1.6
days (P = 0.33) (Table 1). The patients over age 70, when procedures were combined, had a
statistically significant lower mean BMI, uterine weight and longer Operating
room (OR) time. However, when stratified by the type of procedure performed,
there was no difference in surgery times among those under 70 and over 70 years
of age. The elderly patients were more likely to have cancer, which was in
almost half the elderly patients, and thus necessitate staging. Thus adding the
performance of lymph node dissection likely resulted in the increased length of
the surgery time that was noted in the combined group (Tables 1,2). There were no operative deaths. Conclusions: Advanced age does not
appear to be associated with an increased risk of morbidity, or adverse
perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing robotic hysterectomy.