Teaching geriatric anesthesiology to practitioners, residents, and medical students

Care of the geriatric patient will continue to grow in importance as the geriatric proportion of the population continues to grow. The increasing life expectancy in the United States and improvements in medical care allow expansion of surgical procedures into populations once considered too unstable or frail to recover from the stress of surgery. Geriatric patients undergo the same range of surgical procedures as younger patients. Some procedures, such as cataract surgery or prostate resection, may be performed more frequently in the geriatric patient. Virtually every medical provider will need to have a thorough understanding of the needs, complications, and changes in the elderly. Thus, education in geriatric anesthesia is essential.