Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 14, 2026
04:00
Author Spotlight: Assessing Surgical Frailty with Point-of-Care Ultrasound of Quadriceps Muscles
Published on: July 26, 2024
1.6K
Geriatric surgery--evolution of a clinical community
Michael E Zenilman1, Mark R Katlic2, Ronnie A Rosenthal3
1Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 8600 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA; SUNY Downstate School of Public Health, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
American Journal of Surgery
|April 26, 2015
Summary
Geriatric surgery (GS) is a multidisciplinary practice. Data suggest a clinical community is more appropriate than a new specialty society for advancing geriatric surgical care.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Surgery
- Surgical Gerontology
Background:
- Current scientific data and expert opinions on surgery in the elderly were reviewed.
- The need for a potential new society dedicated to geriatric surgery was questioned.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the scientific landscape of geriatric surgery.
- To determine interest in establishing a dedicated specialty society for geriatric surgery.
Main Methods:
- A review of scientific literature and sessions focused on geriatric surgery.
- A town hall meeting with geriatric surgical scholars.
- A survey distributed to surgical scholars regarding interest in a GS specialty society.
Main Results:
- Geriatric surgery scholarly work has increased, focusing on frailty and geriatric syndromes.
- A need for a multidisciplinary geriatric surgery team was identified.
- Survey results indicated more interest in multidisciplinary sessions than a new society.
Conclusions:
- Geriatric surgery is inherently a multidisciplinary practice.
- The data support the development of a clinical community rather than an independent society for geriatric surgery.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
339
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
339
01:21Inflammatory Bowel Disease V: Surgical Management
881
Surgical interventions for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are essential in managing symptoms and addressing complications. The selection of surgical procedures is contingent upon the specific conditions and complications that stem from these illnesses.
Here are some common surgical interventions for IBD:
Here are some common surgical interventions for IBD:
881
01:18Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism
354
Geriatric patients show significant variation in how their bodies process medications, which can change how effective and safe treatments are. The liver is the primary organ where drug metabolism occurs, involving two main types of chemical reactions: phase I and II. Phase I metabolism is driven by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, which includes key types such as CYP3A, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9. Research indicates that while aging doesn't notably alter the levels or activity of these enzymes, it...
354
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
368
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
368
01:25Urinary Tract Calculi VI: Surgical Management
911
Procedures for Kidney StonesMedical intervention is necessary when kidney stones or renal calculi are too large to pass spontaneously (typically greater than 5 millimeters) when stones are accompanied by symptomatic infection (such as fever or pyelonephritis), when they impair kidney function, or when they cause persistent symptoms like severe pain, nausea, or urinary retention. Additionally, patients with only one kidney or those who cannot be treated with medical management also require...
911
01:00Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution
352
Drug distribution in the human body is influenced by several factors, including plasma protein concentration, body composition, blood flow, tissue-protein concentration, and tissue fluid pH. Among these, changes in plasma protein concentration and body composition due to aging significantly affect how drugs are distributed within the body. Specifically, aging is associated with a decrease in albumin levels by about 10% and an increase in α1-acid glycoprotein levels. These alterations are...
352