Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Geriatric patients requiring emergency general surgery (EGS) have significant risk of morbidity and mortality. Rural patients face decreased access to care. We sought to characterize the EGS needs and impact of rurality for geriatric residents of New Hampshire. ⋯ Rural geriatric patients in New Hampshire are more likely to receive care outside of their home county or be transferred to another hospital. Costs of care were similar but are likely underestimated for rural patients. There was no difference in unadjusted mortality. Further investigation is merited to determine the reasons for hospital transfer in the geriatric EGS population to evaluate which patients may benefit most from remaining close to home vs transferring to other facilities.