International Journal of Gerontology
Volume 2, Issue 3 , Pages 98-102, September 2008

Postoperative Care After Geriatric Ambulatory Surgery: Several Specific Considerations

  • Meng-Chi Liu

      Affiliations

    • Department of Anesthesia, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Chien-Chuan Chen

      Affiliations

    • Department of Anesthesia, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
    • Mackay Medicine, Nursing and Management College, Taipei, Taiwan
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Dr Chien-Chuan Chen, Department of Anesthesia, Mackay Memorial Hospital, 92, Section 2, Chung-Shan North Road, Taipei 104, Taiwan

Accepted 10 April 2008.

Article Outline

Summary 

In modern societies, elderly populations have increased over the last four decades and have become the main clients of medical services, including anesthesia in an ambulatory care setting, which was first introduced in the early 1900s. With minimal surgical wounds and the broad use of short-acting anesthetics, elderly patients could recover more quickly and fully from surgery. At the same time, effective and efficient postoperative care for elderly patients has become a new challenge for us. We reviewed several specific considerations associated with the natural aging process, which we encountered in the postanesthetic care unit, and also reviewed commonly used criteria and guidelines for discharge from 1-day surgical procedures. We concluded that there should be more research or studies to provide rules for clinicians to take better care of elderly patients.

Key Words:  ambulatory surgery , anesthesia , elderly , geriatrics , outpatient surgery

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PII: S1873-9598(08)70045-0

doi:10.1016/S1873-9598(08)70045-0

International Journal of Gerontology
Volume 2, Issue 3 , Pages 98-102, September 2008

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