Prostatectomy : its safety in an Australian teaching hospital.

A comparison of the results of prostatectomy in the same hospital after a 15-year interval has shown that there has been a significant reduction in the mortality (2-3 per cent versus 6-7 per cent). However, on reviewing the results of prostatectomy over the past 30 years it is evident that in spite of improved pre- and postoperative care the mortality and morbidity for high risk patients have remained constant. If the safety for this operation is to improve, it would seem that more care in patient selection is necessary and that other means of achieving urinary drainage will need consideration and evaluation in elderly men with significant cardiovascular and respiratory disease.