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The Older Surgical Patient

  • Chapter
Fundamentals of Geriatric Medicine

  • 1991 Accesses

Abstract

Upon completion of the chapter, the student will be able to:

  1. 1.

    Identify risk factors for perioperative complications in elderly surgical patients and recommend strategies to decrease this risk.

  2. 2.

    Understand the considerations specific to elderly patients regarding the use of anesthetic agents.

  3. 3.

    Identify the indications for perioperative noninvasive and invasive monitoring.

  4. 4.

    Understand the impact of the presence of common comorbid conditions on the management of the elderly surgical patient.

  5. 5.

    Assess nutritional status in the elderly surgical patient and recommend strategies to improve nutritional reserve.

  6. 6.

    Understand the risk for postoperative delirium and identify strategies to reduce its severity.

Material in this chapter is based on the following chapters in Cassel CK, Leipzig RM, Cohen HJ, Larson EB, Meier DE, eds. Geriatric Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach, 4th ed. New York: Springer, 2003: Pompei P. Preoperative Assessment and Perioperative Care, pp. 213–227. Silverstein JH. Anesthesia for the Geriatric Patient, pp. 229–238. Rosenthal RA. Surgical Approaches to the Geriatric Patient, pp. 239–257. Selections edited by Hannah I. Lipman.

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Suggested Readings

  • ACC/AHA Guideline Perioperative Cardiovascular Evaluation for Noncardiac Surgery: ACC/AHA 2002 Guideline Update for Non-Cardiac Surgery. J Am Coll Cardiol 2002;39:542–553. This guideline provides a clear, step-by-step algorithm for assessing cardiac risk for noncardiac surgery. In addition to the full guideline and the executive summary, a useful pocket version is also available on the American College of Cardiology Web site: http://www.acc.org.

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  • Pompei P. Preoperative assessment and perioperative care. In: Cassel CK, Leipzig RM, Cohen HJ, et al., eds. Geriatric Medicine, 4th. New York: Springer, 2003:213–228.

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  • Rosenthal RA. Surgical approaches to the geriatric patient. In: Cassel CK, Leipzig RM, Cohen HJ, et al., eds. Geriatric Medicine, 4th. New York: Springer, 2003:239–258.

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  • Silverstein JH. Anesthesia for the geriatric patient. In: Cassel CK, Leipzig RM, Cohen HJ, et al., eds. Geriatric Medicine, 4th. New York: Springer, 2003:229–238.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Divisions of Geriatrics/Cardiology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10467, USA

    Hannah I. Lipman MD, MS (Assistant Professor)

Authors
  1. Hannah I. Lipman MD, MS
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10029, USA

    Rainier P. Soriano MD (Assistant Professor and Director of Medical Student Education), Helen M. Fernandez MD (Assistant Professor and Fellowship Director) & Rosanne M. Leipzig MD, PhD (Professor and Vice Chair of Education) (Assistant Professor and Director of Medical Student Education),  (Assistant Professor and Fellowship Director) &  (Professor and Vice Chair of Education)

  2. ABIM Foundation and American Board of Internal Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19106, USA

    Christine K. Cassel MD, MACP (President and CEO) (President and CEO)

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Lipman, H.I. (2007). The Older Surgical Patient. In: Soriano, R.P., Fernandez, H.M., Cassel, C.K., Leipzig, R.M. (eds) Fundamentals of Geriatric Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-32326-8_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-32326-8_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-32324-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-32326-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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