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Geriatric Cardiology: An Emerging Discipline
John A Dodson1, Daniel D Matlock2, Daniel E Forman3
1Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology and Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA; Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Insights
Geriatric cardiology addresses the needs of older, complex cardiovascular disease patients. This emerging field integrates geriatric principles into cardiac care for improved outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Geriatric Medicine
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CV) patient demographics are shifting towards older individuals with increased comorbidities and geriatric conditions like frailty and cognitive impairment.
- These complex patient profiles challenge traditional cardiovascular disease management and outcomes.
- Technological advancements offer expanded therapeutic options for even the most advanced CV disease cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the emergence and rationale of geriatric cardiology as a specialized discipline.
- To outline current geriatric cardiology program approaches.
- To discuss future directions and training pathways in geriatric cardiology.
Main Methods:
- This review synthesizes current literature and expert perspectives on geriatric cardiology.
- It examines the integration of geriatric medicine principles into cardiovascular practice.
- The review discusses the evolving roles and responsibilities of geriatric cardiologists.
Main Results:
- Geriatric cardiology integrates comprehensive geriatric assessment, medication reduction, and team-based care with traditional CV management.
- Explicit incorporation of patient goals is a key component of geriatric cardiology.
- The discipline aims to optimize care for older adults with complex cardiovascular conditions.
Conclusions:
- Geriatric cardiology is an essential emerging field adapting to the evolving needs of older cardiovascular patients.
- Standardized training pathways and clinical program structures are still developing.
- This interdisciplinary approach promises to enhance the management and outcomes of complex geriatric cardiovascular patients.
Abstract:
Given changing demographics, patients with cardiovascular (CV) disease in developed countries are now older and more complex than even a decade ago. This trend is expected to continue into the foreseeable future; accordingly, cardiologists are encountering patients with a greater number of comorbid illnesses as well as "geriatric conditions," such as cognitive impairment and frailty, which complicate management and influence outcomes. Simultaneously, technological advances have widened the therapeutic options available for patients, including those with the most advanced CV disease. In the setting of these changes, geriatric cardiology has recently emerged as a discipline that aims to adapt principles from geriatric medicine to everyday cardiology practice. Accordingly, the tasks of a "geriatric cardiologist" may include both traditional evidence-based CV management plus comprehensive geriatric assessment, medication reduction, team-based coordination of care, and explicit incorporation of patient goals into management. Given that the field is still in its relative infancy, the training pathways and structure of clinical programs in geriatric cardiology are still being delineated. In this review, we highlight the rationale behind geriatric cardiology as a discipline, several current approaches by geriatric cardiology programs, and future directions for the field.
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