Abstract
With increasing life expectancy, the number of very elderly patients requiring surgery
and anaesthesia is increasing. Age, co-morbidity and altered pharmacokinetics clearly
need to be considered in assessment of surgical risk but even in the apparently well
older person there is a loss of physiological reserve that may be overlooked on cursory
examination. Cognitive impairment after surgery may seriously hinder older people.
This paper looks at these factors in detail and provides some remedies.
Keywords
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References
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 28, 2007
Accepted:
August 7,
2007
Received in revised form:
August 3,
2007
Received:
July 20,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 Elsevier Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
