Associations of early postoperative anemia with mortality and ICU outcomes in nonagenarians and centenarians undergoing colorectal cancer surgery: a binational multicenter propensity matching study

In this large, multicenter cohort of nonagenarians admitted to intensive care after surgery, early postoperative anemia was common and independently associated with higher mortality. While anemia did not significantly influence ICU or hospital length of stay or major complications, patients with moderate to severe anemia had a sustained increase in mortality risk even after propensity score matching. These findings underscore the prognostic value of anemia in the immediate postoperative period and support its consideration in risk stratification and long-term follow-up of the oldest surgical patients.