Patient Resources
Get Healthy!
Common Health Problems Of Old Age Pose More Danger Following Major Surgery, Experts Say
- November 21, 2025
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
Common health problems of old age — dehydration, delirium, malnutrition or falls — can become catastrophic if they occur following a major surgery, a new study reports.
Seniors who suffer these issues while recovering from surgery are more likely to die within a year, and will require more time in hospitals or nursing facilities, researchers reported Nov. 20 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
“A geriatric syndrome can be a ‘canary in the coal mine,’ signaling a patient’s underlying vulnerability,” senior researcher Dr. Timothy Pawlik, a surgical oncologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said in a news release.
“It’s crucial we don’t dismiss these events as just a normal part of ‘getting older.’ These are important warning signs that a patient needs closer monitoring and tailored support, both in the hospital and after discharge,” Pawlik said.
For the study, researchers analyzed Medicare claims data for more than 780,000 patients older than 66 who underwent one of five major operations between 2016 and 2021.
The operations included coronary artery bypass, lung removal, repair of an artery aneurysm in the abdomen, removal of the pancreas or removal of part of the colon.
Nearly 11% of patients developed at least one new geriatric syndrome during their hospitalization — delirium, dehydration, malnutrition, falls or loss of bladder or bowel control.
Dehydration was the most common problem, affecting 67% of patients, followed by delirium (25%) and malnutrition (13%).
Patients who developed one of these health problems of old age were far less likely to be discharged directly home. They spent a median of 16 fewer days at home in the three months following surgery — 27% less than those who didn’t develop a geriatric syndrome.
Seniors who developed any one of the problems also had a doubled risk of death within one year. That death risk more than tripled if a person developed two or more geriatric syndromes.
People who were older and had other existing health problems were more likely to develop a post-surgical geriatric syndrome, researchers found. The risk also was higher if they needed emergency surgery.
On the other hand, minimally invasive procedures were associated with a 49% lower risk of developing a geriatric syndrome, results show.
These findings show that it’s important to approach surgery for older people differently, researchers said, by taking into account their medical challenges.
“By focusing on the unique needs of older patients, we can better anticipate, prevent, and manage these syndromes, which directly translates to helping patients get back home and back to their lives,” Pawlik said.
More information
The Health in Aging Foundation has more about geriatric syndromes.
SOURCES: American College of Surgeons, news release, Nov. 20, 2025; Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Nov. 20, 2025
