British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2001, Vol. 87, No. 4 533-536
© 2001 The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia
Editorial |
Editorial II
Time to light the grey touchpaper! The challenge of anaesthesia in the elderly
New ideas, although they may sound as though they are the logical consequences of progress, are often found to be based on past experience. Hindsight is always a factor driving innovation. In the last few years we have seen major changes in the way our profession trains, maintains standards and plans the delivery of services. Paediatric anaesthesia, for example, has developed in response to alleged shortcomings in the services that were delivered to a unique group of patients. The profession has taken time to accept these truths, but it has ultimately conceded. A subspecialty has evolved. Is there a place for such thinking in anaesthesia for the elderly? Recently, Dodds and Allison have challenged the profession for casual acceptance of a troublesome complication in the elderly, postoperative cognitive dysfunction, stating that it should attract the same interest in further research that a similar 25% incidence would obtain in a young
Are elderly patients different?
Is there a deficiency in the way the service is delivered?
Is study of the elderly patient undergoing anaesthesia worthwhile?
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