Safe Anaesthesia For the Elderly Patients

ANAESTHESIA FOR THE ELDERLY PATIENTS INTRODUCTION According to Kumar P. (2008,) geriatric patients are more sensitive to anaesthetic agents. Less medication is usually required to achieve a desired clinical effect, and drug effect is often prolonged. The most important outcome and overall objective of preoperative care of geriatric population, is to speed recovery and avoid functional decline. An important principle must be kept in mind when dealing with an elderly patient. Aging involves a progressive loss of functional reserve in all organ systems, to variable extend. Compensated for age- related changes are usually adequate, but limitation of physiological reserve is evident during times of stress such as the preoperative period. Anesthesia is the Loss of bodily sensation with or without loss of consciousness DEFINITION Aging is a universal and progressive physiological phenomenon clinically characterized by degenerative changes in both the structure and the functional capacity of organs and tissues. Geriatric age is considered to describe the age more than 65 years. Aged > 80 years Very old age > 100 years Life Spans: It is an idealized, species specific, biological parameter that quantifies maximum attainable age under optimal environment conditions. Life Expectancy: Describes an empirical estimate of typical longevity under prevailing social circumstances