Title : Adverse events and factors relating to post-anaesthesia complications in geriatric patients
Abstract:
The global population aged 60 years or over numbered 962 million in 2017, more than twice as large as in 1980 when there were 382 million older persons worldwide. The number of elderly is expected to double again by 2050, when it is projected to reach nearly 2.1 billion. Globally, the number of persons aged 80 years or over is anticipated to increase more than threefold between 2017 and 2050, rising from 137 million to 425 million. Department of Anaesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine of Siriraj hospital, has the responsibilities to take care of more than 50,000 patients annually which 30% are geriatric persons. Anaesthesia service is a medical specialty that focuses on perioperative medicine and the administration of anaesthetics. It expresses traditionally as the conditions of no pain perception during surgical procedure. As the average age of populations continues to rise, anaesthesiologists should concern to address the health problems and predisposing factors which impact to their patients. These include underlying diseases, drugs-related adverse events, postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), and pathophysiologic changes of the cardiovascular system namely atherosclerosis, reduced vascular compliance, increased arterial wall thickness and decreased β2-mediated vasodilation. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction becomes a challenging phenomenon amongst ageing population after surgery and anaesthesia. Physiologic dysfunction including changes in normal behavior, drugs metabolism and hypersensitivity, results in dependency, cognitive impairment, longer hospital stay, side effects, and adverse peri-operative outcomes. Investigators are serious about the increasing number of geriatric patients undergoing anaesthesia, and would like to study factors relating to its postoperative complications.
Take Away Notes:
• Adverse events and factors relating in post-anaesthesia complications in geriatric patients which 30% of more than 50,000 patients annually
• Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) becomes a challenging phenomenon amongst ageing population after surgery and anaesthesia. Physiologic dysfunction including changes in normal behaviour, drugs metabolism and hypersensitivity, results in dependency, cognitive impairment, longer hospital stay, side effects, and adverse peri-operative outcomes. All persons caring for patient’s intra- and postoperatively should know about the risk of POCD after anaesthesia and surgery. Its relevance in the immediate postoperative phase
• The type of anaesthesia, i.e. regional versus general, does not influence the incidence of POCD
