Older patients carry some of the highest risks of suffering an adverse event or death following anesthesia and surgery. They are inherently vulnerable, presenting with numerous comorbidities and reduced physiological reserve, requiring 'gero-centric' perioperative care for everything from routine eye surgery to major cardiac surgeries. Dementia, frailty, and the need for palliative care and pain management for the orthopedic patient are important areas requiring special consideration in this group. This book provides a general overview of these topics for those healthcare providers who may not have extensive knowledge of this patient population, while at the same time offering practical tips for the more experienced clinician. Chapters cover the spectrum of perioperative care including preoperative management of comorbid conditions, intraoperative anesthetic management, postoperative pain control, and a primer on advanced directive discussions. This book is appropriate not only for anesthesiologists but for any perioperative physician caring for the older patient.

The Manual of Geriatric Anesthesia is a practical guide for physicians, residents, and students interested in the care of the elderly patient undergoing surgery. Although primarily written for anesthesiologists, other perioperative physicians and nurses will also find the information highly valuable. Highlights of the text include concise and clear discussions of preoperative assessment, anesthetic administration, the immediate postoperative care, as well as the more classic 'geriatric' topics such as the hip fracture patient, cataract surgery, postoperative delirium, dementia, ethics and end of life care. Clinical geriatric principles are woven into the text so that the reader can develop skills in geriatrics and develop a broader understanding of terminology and principles used in geriatric medicine.