As the Population is Aging the Surgical Care Model Needs Refreshment: Implementation of a Vasculogeriatric Service for Vascular Surgical Patients in Australia

Ritter JC, Maher S, Bharat C, Stopher L, Ponosh S and Jansen S*

Department of Vascular Surgery, Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine, Australia

^*Correspondance to: Shirley Jansen 

 PDF  Full Text DOI: 10.25107/2474-1647.1266

Abstract

Introduction: Vascular surgical patients are elderly with multiple, significant co-morbidities requiring multi- specialist management. Optimal perioperative inpatient medical management may have a positive impact on timely discharge. This study aims to investigate whether an integrated geriatric service in a vascular surgical department reduces length of stay and cost. Methods: A geriatric service was created as an integral part of a Vascular Surgical Unit in a tertiary state referral center. In a retrospective cohort study design patient data was investigated six months prior to installment of the service and the six months after. Results: Total number of patients admitted was 669 (300 before, and 369 after institution of the vasculogeiatric service. Patients with multiple admissions were excluded resulting in a patient volume of 497. A significant reduction of length of stay was found after the introduction of the vascular geriatric service (p= 0.003). This difference remains true when sub analysed for gender (p= 0.014), admission type (p< 0.001) and age (p= 0.012). Conclusion: In this pilot study the institution of a vasculogeriatric service lead to a significant reduction in LOS. The authors highly recommend this model of care, however specific benefits inpatient care and impact on mortality needs evaluation in further studies.

Keywords

Vascular surgical procedures; geriatric medicine; Patient care; Length of stay gerontology; Healthcare economics

Cite the article

Ritter JC, Maher S, Bharat C, Stopher L, Ponosh S, Jansen S. As the Population is Aging the Surgical Care Model Needs Refreshment: Implementation of a Vasculogeriatric Service for Vascular Surgical Patients in Australia. Clin Surg. 2016; 1: 1266..