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Chapter 43 - Surgical care of the elderly

from Section IV - Principles of care for the elderly

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2016

By
Deepika Koganti ,
David W. Rittenhouse  and
Michael S. Weinstein
Edited by
Jan Busby-Whitehead ,
Christine Arenson ,
Samuel C. Durso ,
Daniel Swagerty ,
Laura Mosqueda ,
Maria Fiatarone Singh  and
William Reichel
Jan Busby-Whitehead
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina
Christine Arenson
Affiliation:
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
Samuel C. Durso
Affiliation:
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Daniel Swagerty
Affiliation:
University of Kansas
Laura Mosqueda
Affiliation:
University of Southern California
Maria Fiatarone Singh
Affiliation:
University of Sydney
William Reichel
Affiliation:
Georgetown University, Washington DC
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Summary

The geriatric population in the United States is rapidly increasing; consequently, a significant rise in the number of operations and injuries amongst the elderly is occurring. Since age is an independent risk factor for mortality, it is of utmost importance to note that the elderly have different needs in their pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative care than the general population. Risk assessment using tools and calculators can predict outcomes and help guide discussions regarding goals of care and code status that ought to be addressed prior to operation. Post-operatively, medical management is geared towards avoiding cardiac, pulmonary, and neurologic complications that occur at much higher rates in this population. Finally, geriatric trauma leading to emergency surgical management poses a unique challenge in that an unpredicted acute change in health occurs and is associated with increased mortality as well. Continued communication regarding expectations and predicted outcomes with the patients and their families throughout the hospital course is essential.
Type
Chapter
Information
Reichel's Care of the Elderly
Clinical Aspects of Aging
 , pp. 607 - 612
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

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