Recent advances in geriatric anaesthesia

Abstract

The World Health Organization defines healthy ageing as 'the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age'. This functional ability is the characteristic of the individual's own physical and mental status influenced by the environmental and socio-economic factors. Preoperative preparation of the elderly patients includes functional assessment to identify preexisting cognitive impairment or cardio-pulmonary reserve, frailty, nutrition, polypharmacy and anti-coagulation issues. Intraoperative management includes anaesthetic mode and pharmacology, monitoring, intravenous fluid and transfusion management, lung protective ventilation and hypothermia. Postoperative checklist includes perioperative analgesia, postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction.

Keywords

• aged
• frailty
• geriatric assessment
• perioperative care