Perioperative risk assessment in the surgical care of geriatric patients

Advances in surgical and anesthetic techniques, combined with sophisticated perioperative assessment, are factors that have contributed to an expanding number of older adults undergoing oral and maxillofacial surgery. Clinical competency and ability to evaluate carefully the pathophysiologic risk of comorbid disease become paramount in order to provide safe, expedient, and effective surgical care. This review article attempts to focus on the importance of perioperative risk assessment in geriatric surgical patients. Specifically, medical workup of comorbid systemic illnesses and pharmacologic therapy are assessed in order to determine appropriate treatment strategies for successful surgical outcomes.