"In the preface to this impressive and well-produced book, the editors state that their aim is not to describe a new surgical specialty, since most surgeons will soon need to be "geriatric surgeons," but to assemble a comprehensive account that will allow "all providers of healthcare to the elderly to understand the issues involved in choosing surgery as a treatment option for their patients." This is a useful book that deserves to do well. I hope that the editors and their publisher will have the stamina to make this the first of several editions, as it is clear that updated information about surgery in the elderly will be required to keep pace with this important field." NEJM Book Review

Principles and Practice of Geriatric Surgery presents the fundamentals of surgical care for the fastest growing segment of the US population, providing a vital integration of operative strategies with the physiological changes of aging. Among the topics covered are the endocrine system, otolaryngology, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, GI system, hepatobiliary system, urogenital system, soft tissue and musculoskeletal system, neurosurgery, and transplantation.

This volume offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the major surgical procedures performed on elderly patients. With advancing age the conditions that require surgery normally increase in incidence, and today all surgeons around the globe can be considered “geriatric surgeons”. The latest anesthesiological procedures, the technical improvements and an increased medical knowledge of the comorbities impact have brought extraordinary advances in this field, but this should not allow us to forget that a careful assessment of elderly patients is necessary before undertaking surgery, since also the simplest surgical procedures could alter the delicate psychophysical equilibrium of these “frail” patients. Introduced by a demographic panorama and analysis, the book describes the anesthesiological management, the preoperative assessment and preparation, the perioperative care, and hemostasis control connected with the main surgical pathologies: gastrointestinal, endocrine, neoplastic, vascular and hepato-biliary, as well with traumatic and non-traumatic emergencies. It will be an invaluable, easy-to-use resource for clinicians, researchers and trainees alike.

This book is designed to present a comprehensive and state-of the-art approach to all aspects of geriatric surgery within the broad confines of surgery in geriatrics including general surgery, neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, vascular surgery, cardiac surgery, surgical oncology, hepatobiliary and transplant surgery, plastic, colorectal, orthopedic, gynecologic, and urologic surgery. The text is split into four parts. The first part is organized under general considerations on the geriatric surgical patient and includes current trends in geriatric surgery, and a number of important general issues such as practical approaches to reversal of bleeding/anticoagulation, role of anesthetic concerns in advanced age, frailty index and measurements of physiological reserves, nutritional support in the elderly, quality of life in the elderly, drug use, and family involvement. Part two of the book focuses on surgery specific system-based problems in geriatric surgical patients. The third part addresses many other important aspects of geriatric surgery including palliative and end of life care for the elderly, religious issues and the elderly care surgery, elderly with mental health issues, and nursing care of elderly patients. The fourth and final part describes the need for geriatric surgical care education and the components that are essential for the curriculum of current and future generations of students. Written by experts in the field, Surgical Decision Making in Geriatrics addresses patient selection, pre-operative considerations, technical conduct of the most common operations, and avoiding complications.

There is a growing need for a book on emergency general surgery in the elderly, as adults age 65 and older are the fastest growing segment of the population worldwide, and their number is expected to double to 89 million between now and 2050. Based on these changing demographics, it is expected that there will be a concurrent rise in the demand for a variety of surgical services, including vascular surgery (with a projected growth of 31%) and general surgery (with a projected growth of 18%), as well as in all sub-disciplines of surgery (thoracic, cardiac, oncology, hepatobiliary, transplant, plastic colorectal, orthopedic, gynecologic, urology and neurosurgery).In addition, older surgical patients often require a different level of care than younger patients during the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative phases. Many of our geriatric population have multiple chronic illnesses beyond the one for which surgery is required, and therefore are prone to developing postoperative complications, functional decline, loss of independence, and other undesirable outcomes. In response, this book offers surgeons, geriatrists and nurses state-of-the-art surgical approaches and essential information on the complex perioperative care of the elderly.

Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Elderly: Evidence Based Practice is an important and timely book that reflects the thoughtful work of pioneers in geriatric surgery. It encompasses their knowledge related to geriatric surgery, and their reflections and guidance on the rapidly accumulating knowledge related to improving the health and surgical care of seniors. This book provides a scholarly review of the constantly expanding knowledge base about cardiovascular and thoracic surgery in seniors. The book follows a logical sequence covering general aspects of care, cardiac surgery and thoracic surgery. Chapters are focused on common, devastating and often missed complications of surgical care in the seniors. These include delirium, depression, pressure sores, functional losses, incontinence, volume depletion and asymptomatic or atypical complications -myocardial infarction, post-operative diarrhea, urinary track infections and pneumonia. Each is expertly reviewed. Strategies to help the surgeons and the surgical team anticipate, recognize and effectively prevent or manage such problems are discussed and the evidence basis for such strategies is provided. Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Elderly: Evidence Based Practice is particularly timely and the first to review the substantial body of knowledge that has been developed in recent years related to geriatric cardiothoracic surgical problems. It catalogs well the expanding knowledge basis for achieving successful surgical outcomes in the very old. It provides a most useful resources for cardiovascular thoracic surgeons in training and those already in practice.