Repair of symptomatic paraesophageal hernias in elderly (>70 years) patients results in sustained quality of life at 5 years and beyond

Background: Paraesophageal hernias (PEHs) involve herniation of stomach and/or other viscera into the mediastinum. These commonly occur in the elderly and can severely limit quality of life. Short term outcomes of repaired PEH demonstrated low morbidity and significant improvement in quality of life, but long-term data for all patients, especially the elderly, are lacking. Methods: Retrospective chart review of a prospectively collected database of patients aged 70 or greater with a symptomatic PEH repaired 5+ years ago. Quality of life data were assessed preoperatively, at 12–24 months, and at 5+ years using QOLRAD, GERD-HRQL, and DSS. Results: We identified 137 patients who met the age criteria, with 69 patients undergoing surgery 5+ years ago. With ten patients were lost to follow-up, 59 patients were analyzed, including 24 males and 35 females. Median age at repair was 77 years. There were two 90-day mortalities, with one occurring within 30 days of surgery. Patients alive at evaluation had a median age of 74 years and were followed a median 7.4 years. From baseline, QOLRAD improved from 4 to 6.5, GERD-HRQL improved from 11 to 5, and swallowing improved from 11 to 38. During follow-up, 21 patients died. Deceased patients lived a median of 4 years after repair, with a median age at repair of 80 years. At a median time follow-up of 2 years, this group’s QOLRAD improved from 5.1 to 7, GERD-HRQL improved from 16 to 4, and swallowing improved from 14.5 to 35. Conclusions: In elderly patients with symptomatic PEH undergoing surgical repair more than 5 years ago, there was sustained improvement in quality of life. This justifies surgical repair of symptomatic PEH in elderly patients.