Newswise — A national, non-scientific survey from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) finds that more than 96% of respondents treated a patient 65 or older in 2018. However, despite guidelines, more than 80% physician anesthesiologists rarely or never perform preoperative screening for cognitive impairment or frailty for older surgical patients.
The survey results, published in a recent edition of Perioperative Medicine, looked to address a knowledge gap regarding current anesthesia practices for older surgical patients. Major medical organizations in the U.S. and Europe have published guidelines and benchmarking efforts for the care of older adults during the entire surgical episode, however, there is no report regarding implementation in health care systems and institutions.
Adherence to recommended guidelines for patients 65 and older varied across the…
