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Oliver O. Aalami, MD; Tony D. Fang, MD; HanJoon M. Song, MD; Randall P. Nacamuli, MD

Arch Surg. 2003;138:1068-1076.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

INTRODUCTION

Between 1960 and 1994, the population of those 85 years and older in the United States grew 274%.¹ Similarly, the fastest-growing sector of surgical patients older than 65 years is those older than 85 years.² These figures are critical because elderly persons have the highest mortality in the adult surgical population (5.8%-6.2% in those >80 years in 500 consecutive patients requiring general or regional anesthesia and 8.4% in those >90 years in 795 in-house operations).^3-5 Why do elderly persons face such high surgical mortality rates? In addition to a higher incidence and prevalence of disease, elderly persons experience baseline physiological changes associated with senescence.⁶ It is vital for the modern surgeon to be aware of the physiological changes associated with aging to minimize morbidity and mortality in the aging surgical population.

Multiple theories of . . . [Full Text of this Article]

ALTERATIONS IN CARDIOVASCULAR PHYSIOLOGICAL FEATURES

ALTERATIONS IN PULMONARY PHYSIOLOGICAL FEATURES

ALTERATIONS IN RENAL PHYSIOLOGICAL FEATURES

ALTERATIONS IN GASTROINTESTINAL PHYSIOLOGICAL FEATURES

Changes in Neuromuscular Function

Changes in Gastrointestinal Wall Structure

Changes in Secretion and Absorption

ALTERATIONS IN HEPATOBILIARY PHYSIOLOGICAL FEATURES

ALTERATIONS IN ENDOCRINE, IMMUNE, AND STRESS RESPONSES

NEUROLOGICAL CHANGES

CONCLUSIONS

From the Departments of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco–East Bay (Drs Aalami and Nacamuli), and Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif (Drs Fang and Song).

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