Evaluation of postoperative complications in elderly patients submitted to parotidectomy.

ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate the most incident histological subtypes and the main postoperative complications in elderly patients with parotid tumors submitted to parotidectomy. Methods: we conducted a retrospective study with 57 elderly patients submitted to parotidectomy from 2003 to 2017, at the São José County Hospital of Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Results: thirty-three (57.9%) patients had benign tumors, the most frequent being Warthin's tumor, and 17 (29.8%), malignant tumors, squamous cell carcinoma being the most frequent. Seven patients (12.3%) presented clinical complications, arterial pressure instability and respiratory complications being the most frequent, in four (7%) and three (5.3%) cases, respectively. Thirteen (22.1%) patients presented complications related to the surgical wound, hematoma and wound infection being the most frequent, with six (10.5%) cases each. Twenty-four (42.1%) patients had some degree of facial nerve dysfunction in the postoperative period, Brackman-House grade III being the most frequent, in 11 cases (19.3%). Surgical time and lymphadenectomy were associated with clinical complications. The main variables that showed an association with surgical complications were tumor size, longer surgical time, reoperation, and perioperative crystalloid infusion volume. Conclusion: parotid neoplasms present a differentiated profile in the elderly population, especially Warthin's tumor and squamous cell carcinoma. Hematoma and infection of the operative wound and facial nerve lesions were the most prevalent complications in the postoperative period.