Do Anesthesia Risks Increase in Older Adults?

Abstract

Age may bring wisdom but it also brings a greater chance of health problems, and some health problems might require surgery to make you better. In fact, 1 in 10 people who have surgery are 65 or older. Usually we refer to patients aged ≥65 years as the elderly, but there is no precise definition of ‘the aged’, ‘the elderly’ or ‘advanced age’ as there is no specific clinical marker of the ‘geriatric’ patient, and ageing does not occur abruptly. Approximately 15% of the Western population, and about 25% of surgical patients are aged ≥65 yr. Half of these will undergo surgery in the remainder of their life time. Age itself is an independent morbidity and mortality risk factor.