Abdominal aortic aneurysm in the elderly.

Over a 20-year period, 35 consecutive patients, 78 years of age and older, underwent resection of an abdominal aneurysm. Operation was performed electively in 8 and urgently in 10 patients with intact aneurysms and in 17 patients with ruptured aneurysms. The overall mortality was 46%. The mortality for operation on intact aneurysms was 12.5% for elective resections and 20% for emergency resections. For those with ruptured aneurysms the mortality was 76.4%. The mean survival for the 19 patients who survived operation was 48.6 months. Previous cardiac disease, rupture of the aneurysm and severe blood loss increased the mortality. Age in itself is not a deterrent to resection of an abdominal aneurysm and survival after operation, as determined by life-table analysis, compares favorably with that of the general population.