The impact of frailty in the elderly on the outcome of surgery in the aged. Review uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • As the population continues to age, we will continue to encounter issues involving aging and the elderly. Despite these issues, knowledge is expanding and evolving with new solutions to ongoing problems. Mechanistically, frailty at its root is a symptom of growing old, with cascades and circuitous feedback between organ systems at all levels. Clinically, frailty is as equally dynamic and its multifactorial nature represents a unique challenge to the surgical community and warrants the integration of geriatric assessment into clinical practice. Integration within clinical practice includes using an interdisciplinary approach, where surgeons work with anesthesiologists, geriatricians, nursing, rehabilitation, nutritionists, and other support staff to provide holistic assessment, efficient delivery, and higher quality of care. This in hand, recognition of frailty can occur in a timely fashion to initiate treatment, decreasing the risk of morbidity and mortality for improved surgical outcomes.

publication date

  • January 1, 2010

Research

keywords

  • Frail Elderly
  • Surgical Procedures, Operative

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 77956148229

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.yasu.2010.05.014

PubMed ID

  • 20919524

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 44