Abstract
Elderly population is growing at a rate never seen before. By 2030, the elderly are expected to make up 21% of the population. This will affect all areas of medicine, including surgery. The elderly population is four times more likely to undergo surgery. Approximately 1.5 million Americans older than 60 years old are admitted with an acute care surgery (ACS) diagnosis. In a 2010 study, over a quarter of patients required surgery, and this estimated to an amount greater than the cost to care for many other common elderly conditions including myocardial infarction, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and diabetes. The aging population is at a much higher risk for mortality than the rest of the population. The reason for higher mortality amongst the elderly can be partially attributed to their comorbidities, but also due to normal physiology of the elderly patient.
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Duncan, T.K., Arseneaux, M. (2023). Physiology of Aging. In: Petrone, P., Brathwaite, C.E. (eds) Acute Care Surgery in Geriatric Patients. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30651-8_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30651-8_4
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