Anaesthesia and the older surgical patient: something old, something new, something borrowed...

Discusses anaesthetic management of the older patients. Guidelines on perioperative care of the elderly issued by the Association of Anesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland; Factors that increased the profile of the older patients in the field of anaesthesia and intensive care; Statistics of aged persons who would use anaesthesia; Effect of aging on the response to physiological and pharmacological stress.