The New Zealand medical journal
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To evaluate long-term survival after major abdominal surgery in patients who are 80 years and over and to assess possible predictors of outcome: age, acute vs elective surgery, associated comorbidities and type of surgical procedure. ⋯ Elective surgery is generally well tolerated by the elderly. There is high in-hospital morbidity and mortality in the emergency group; however, long-term survival in those patients who leave hospital is not significantly different to the age-adjusted population. Age should not be used as the only criterion when deciding suitability for surgery in this age group.
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To determine the availability and use of urgent ultrasonography to emergency departments in New Zealand. ⋯ Most clinical directors feel that it is difficult to get an urgent ultrasound scan and that emergency physicians should be performing ultrasonography. With the proper training and support most clinical directors had plans to use ultrasonography in the future.