This site is an information board for professionals to read about the state of practice of anaesthesia in elderly patients today, and be advised about recent journal articles and political developments.
Times newspaper on hip fracture mortality.
Please send your comments direct to the editor of the TimesAramine Discontinued What hope for the management of intraoperative hypotension?
If you wish to discuss the future management of hypotension without metaraminol click here and send your comments
2003 Cambridge meeting report now available on line ( click on Sage icon)
2002 Scientific Meeting : Putting New Flesh on Old Bones
Comment on the 2002 meeting of the Age Anaesthesia Association
'I recently went to the Age Anaesthesia Association meeting and was one of only a handful of geriatricians present. If you thought that anaesthetists were mechanics with a fixed belief in the efficacy of medication and a love of instrumental monitoring then this group is the antidote. The meeting concentrated on hip fractures and was superb. A masterful exposition by Martyn Parker from Peterborough on how orthopaedics should be done in late life was followed by presentations that were as humane and sensible as they were erudite and far sighted, Having my prejudices destroyed by these clinicians whose values were entirely in tune with geriatric medicine made me feel ashamed.
Fancy writing a paper?
The CPD journal of the Royal College of Anaesthetists seeks to provide concise state of the art summaries on a variety of topics of specialist interest. If you want to contribute a subject relevant to anaesthesia in old age, please contact Dr Les Gemmell
Click on the subjects to see a review on anaesthesia in the elderly from the British Journal of Anaesthesia' CPD reviews Parkinson's Disease
, preoperative assessment
More on fractured hips...
An audit commission report on the perioperative care of fractured hips makes scant mention of the role of the anaesthetist, surely an impression that has to be changed.
For an interesting account of the outcome following hip surgery try an article in the evidence based journal Bandolier which claims that only 25% of patients return to normal. You might like to compare your own hospital's practice against this.
National Confidential Enquiry in to Perioperative Deaths
read the full text of the CEPOD report on anaesthesia in the over 90's
President: Eleri Edwards Past President:Mike Platt Secretary:Andrew Severn Treasurer:Tim Webb
