Baguneid M S, Fulford P E, Walker M G
Department of Vascular Surgery, Manchester Royal Infirmary and Medical School, U.K.
J R Coll Surg Edinb. 1999 Aug;44(4):216-21.
Throughout the developed world, the population is aging at an alarming rate. This has become an issue of great concern. The growing number of elderly people within the community has several health and economic implications. The prevalence of atherosclerosis increases with age and directly impacts on the workload of both cardiac and vascular surgeons. The decision to operate should not be based on age alone but reflect an assessment of the risk benefit ratio of individual cases. Increased life expectancy, safer anaesthesia and less invasive surgical techniques have led to more patients being considered for surgical intervention. However, this will inevitably result in an overwhelming burden on national health resources, a factor that may force some practitioners to deny treatment on the grounds of chronological and not biological age.
在整个发达国家，人口正以惊人的速度老龄化。这已成为一个备受关注的问题。社区内老年人数量的增加对健康和经济有着多方面的影响。动脉粥样硬化的患病率随年龄增长而增加，直接影响心脏外科医生和血管外科医生的工作量。手术决策不应仅基于年龄，而应反映对个别病例风险效益比的评估。预期寿命的延长、更安全的麻醉和侵入性较小的手术技术，使得更多患者被考虑进行手术干预。然而，这将不可避免地给国家卫生资源带来巨大负担，这一因素可能迫使一些从业者以实际年龄而非生理年龄为由拒绝治疗。
