BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the elderly (≥65 years) and non-elderly groups regarding perioperative outcomes after robotic ventral hernia repair (RVHR). METHODS: A one-to-one propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was conducted to obtain balanced groups. Postoperative complications including surgical site events (SSEs) (surgical site infections [SSIs], surgical site occurrences [SSOs], and surgical site occurrence procedural interventions [SSOPIs]) were compared. RESULTS: The unmatched sample included 521 patients. Of these, 139 patients were elderly (range 65-94 years). After PSM, 98 patients were assigned to each group. Intraoperative variables were similar. The non-elderly and elderly groups experienced similar complication rates during the first 90 days. SSEs (SSIs, SSOs, and SSOPIs) did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION: RVHR is safe and efficacious for patients aged 65 and over. Age alone need not be a prohibitive factor in determining patient selection for RVHR; however, it would be more beneficial to take into consideration other patient-related factors as well.
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the elderly (≥65 years) and non-elderly groups regarding perioperative outcomes after robotic ventral hernia repair (RVHR). METHODS: A one-to-one propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was conducted to obtain balanced groups. Postoperative complications including surgical site events (SSEs) (surgical site infections [SSIs], surgical site occurrences [SSOs], and surgical site occurrence procedural interventions [SSOPIs]) were compared. RESULTS: The unmatched sample included 521 patients. Of these, 139 patients were elderly (range 65-94 years). After PSM, 98 patients were assigned to each group. Intraoperative variables were similar. The non-elderly and elderly groups experienced similar complication rates during the first 90 days. SSEs (SSIs, SSOs, and SSOPIs) did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION: RVHR is safe and efficacious for patients aged 65 and over. Age alone need not be a prohibitive factor in determining patient selection for RVHR; however, it would be more beneficial to take into consideration other patient-related factors as well.