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Anesthetic Implications of Chronic Medications

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Geriatric Anesthesiology

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Abstract

The prevention and recognition of drug-related problems in older adults are of paramount importance. Medicationrelated problems are estimated to cause 106,000 deaths annually at a cost of $75-85 billion. Elderly patients presenting for surgery are often taking a large number and wide variety of chronic medications, greatly complicating their preoperative assessment and anesthesia management. The often daunting task of evaluating the potential interactions of these medications with one another as well as anesthetic medications is further complicated by the large number of inappropriate medications prescribed in this age group.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Administration, Medical Center, Charleston, SC, USA

    Tamas A. Szabo MD, PhD (Assistant Professor) & R. David Warters MD (Professor)

Authors
  1. Tamas A. Szabo MD, PhD
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  2. R. David Warters MD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

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

    Jeffrey H. Silverstein MD (Professor, Vice Chairman for Research, Associate Dean for Research) (Professor, Vice Chairman for Research, Associate Dean for Research)

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, University of Washington and the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA

    G. Alec Rooke MD, PhD (Professor and Visiting Professor of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine) (Professor and Visiting Professor of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine)

  3. Harvard Medical School Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

    G. Alec Rooke MD, PhD (Professor and Visiting Professor of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine) (Professor and Visiting Professor of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine)

  4. College of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology/College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

    J. G. Reves MD (Vice President for Medical Affairs, Dean) (Vice President for Medical Affairs, Dean)

  5. Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Charles H. McLeskey MD

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Szabo, T.A., Warters, R.D. (2008). Anesthetic Implications of Chronic Medications. In: Silverstein, J.H., Rooke, G.A., Reves, J.G., McLeskey, C.H. (eds) Geriatric Anesthesiology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-72527-7_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-72527-7_14

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