Surgery in Elderly People
Conclusion
In many ways, surgical management of elderly patients reflects procedures seen in other areas of clinical medicine. For example, special considerations are also necessary when dealing with the pediatric population or pregnant women. The appropriate study of surgical outcomes in the older adult has been incomplete, however, and care of this growing population has tended to be somewhat marginalized as a result. There is a growing body of knowledge that indicates that outcomes following surgery are not a product of age, but rather of the whole-body physiology of the individual. An increasing life expectancy among older adults mandates a re-examination of the rationalization of health care resources and considerations of quality of life following surgical intervention. To achieve these goals, an approach is required to ensure adequate quality of care and to expedite the return of patients to their baseline level of function and home environment.
RAKESH C. ARORA KENNETH ROCKWOOD
See also ANESTHESIA; DECONDITIONING; DELIRIUM; FRAILTY; HIP FRACTURE; MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM; PAIN MANAGEMENT; REHABILITATION; REVASCULARIZATION, BYPASS SURGERY, AND ANGIOPLASTY.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Additional topics
Medicine EncyclopediaAging Healthy - Part 4Surgery in Elderly People - Anesthetic Considerations And Operative Issues, Perioperative Pain Management, Delirium And Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction, Other Complications