[Resuscitation of the elderly brain]

The little poses the question of the usefulness of resuscitation of elderly individuals, victims of cerebral damage or aggression. The author reviews the difficulties inherent in the definition of the "elderly patient" and the "elderly brain". The results obtained in 195 patients aged 60 or over are reported. In a 12 month period, this accounted for 32.77 p. 100 of "resuscitated" patients in a department of neurosurgery. Resuscitation implied a state of coma with artificial ventilation for varying periods. It thus differed from simple surveillance, even specialised. Survival rates are analysed in terms of neurological state, aetiology, whether or not there was surgery under general anaesthesia, past history, complications and the gravity of the resuscitation methods employed. The overall rate of 32.31 p. 100 was already lower than that in the elderly in a general intensive care unit. The picture in geriatric neurological resuscitation worsens further if only good quality survivals are noted: approximately 21.03 p. 100. Nevertheless, all the indications are that these figures are likely to improve in this recent field of resuscitation.