Surgery in the elderly: what is the record?

Offering surgery to elderly patients, even those more than 90 years old, has become accepted clinical practice. Older people are, however, more vulnerable than their younger counterparts; medical staff should pay close attention to patient risk factors and work with the hospital to ensure optimum care before, during, and after surgery. The decision by the federal government to make hospitals' performances with Medicare patients a matter of public record places a new kind of pressure on caring for elderly patients.