Geriatric Medicine

This book provides a timely and authoritative synopsis of the current state of anaesthesia and the elderly patient at a time when the challenge of caring for the growing numbers of elderly patients is probably the greatest faced by healthcare across the globe. The book reviews important developments in the understanding of clinical practice serving the elderly. It describes the need for anaesthesia to deliver ‘best care’ to the elderly, with the aim to maintain their independent living. It then details the key features of ageing and the effect these have on physiology and pharmacology. Specific aspects of practice, including preoperative assessment; day surgery; emergency surgery; anaesthesia for orthopaedic, urological, and gynaecological surgery, as well as major abdominal surgery; neurosurgery; and critical care. Emphasis is placed on managing postoperative care and cognitive dysfunction (POCD), with additional discussion of ethical issues and the law pertaining to the elderly patient. A new chapter reviews the challenges of treating elderly patients in non-theatre environments.Less

This resource provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of all aspects of anaesthesia for the elderly patient looking at the effect of ageing on the systems of the body and the role that age has on drug mechanisms. Designed for both consultants and trainees who care for elderly patients, chapters address the clinical management of the older patient in pain, trauma, intensive care as well as anaesthesia for all aspects of surgery. The expert author team use their experience to provide a practical and stimulating resource which informs everyday clinical activity and explores the unanswered questions which face anaesthetists in this changing patient population. Less