A 109-year-old woman in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, has undergone a successful appendectomy, likely becoming the oldest patient to have such surgery in Japan, the attending physician said Tuesday.
Ai Onishi was diagnosed with acute appendicitis Feb. 22 at the No. 1 Towakai Hospital in Takatsuki, according to surgeon Atsushi Okita. Because noninvasive therapy would not have been sufficient, he decided to remove her appendix during emergency surgery.
Because it is difficult for elderly patients to withstand anesthesia and surgery because of reduced cardiopulmonary functions, doctors completed the operation in 25 minutes, compared with the 30 to 60 minutes it normally takes.
While Onishi reported pain around the wound after the operation, she recovered and left the hospital March 8, Okita said.
