Demand for thoracic surgical treatments in geriatric patients is steadily rising due to increasing age, physiological conditions, and comorbidities. Consideration of key implications of physiology and pharmacology can provide best possible care for the increasing number of elderly patients in thoracic surgery. This article briefly outlines the current issues involved in the management of thoracic anesthesia in elderly patients.
Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death amongst men and women with main comorbidities such as smoking history, pulmonary obstructive diseases, hypertension, coronary artery disease and BMI above 30. Surgery for lung cancer may result in serious life-threatening complications and itself may become the cause of death. Perioperative mortality is reported to be about 5 - 6% in geriatric patients with the presence of preoperative congestive heart…
