[Recovery after low-flow anesthesia in elderly patients]

The study was carried out in 76 patients aged 65-84 years with the physical status ASA II-III, who underwent different surgical operations on abdomen under high and low-flow anesthesia. Awakening after anesthesia was evaluated by the following parameters: time between the end of intervention and extubation of the trachea, opening the eyes when asked, transportation from the operation room into the ward, and first dialogue with the doctor. A system of evaluating the level of recovery of respiration, motor activity, and consciousness by Aldret and Kroulik's score was used for objective assessment of the data. The findings show, that in contrast to the high-flow anesthesia, which results in a late awakening , the use of low-flow technique of anesthesia allows to create good condition for an early activation after abdominal surgery and for reduction of postoperative complication in elderly and senile patients with severe comorbidity.