[Risk assessment in geriatric traumatology : Crucial role of anesthesiology]

The postoperative outcome of older people is significantly influenced by individual age-related risk factors. Therefore, factors such as frailty, cognitive impairment and functional dependency should be routinely included in the preoperative anesthesiological assessment of older patients. The approach recommended in the catalogue of criteria for geriatric trauma centers of the German Society for Trauma Surgery (DGU®) includes screening to identify geriatric patients, determination of frailty, assessment of cognitive impairment and delirium screening even in the emergency department. In addition, a basic geriatric assessment should be performed at the latest in the early postoperative phase to determine the need for further supportive therapy. Anesthesiologists work closely with geriatricians and trauma surgeons in the geriatric traumatological treatment. The recommendations for action and the nature of interdisciplinary collaboration are defined in standard operating procedures. It would be desirable to develop comparable concepts for the perioperative care of all older people beyond the field of geriatric traumatology.