Surgical assessment in the elderly.

Elderly patients face a mortality risk two to three times greater for certain surgical procedures than do middle-aged patients. This increased risk is attributed partly to the normal physiologic changes associated with aging, but more so to pathologic changes seen less uniformly in the elderly population. Most studies report cardiac and pulmonary complications as major adverse consequences. In order to identify and determine the significant risk factors to elderly patients requiring surgery, a comprehensive preoperative evaluation should be performed.