[Anesthesia for thoracic surgery in elderly patients]

Abstract

Aging and advances in medical technology have lead to a rise in the number of patients of advanced age undergoing surgery. This is also observed in thoracic surgery. Aging itself is not a disease, but it is one of the risk factors of perioperative complications. Individual assessment of patients is required to ascertain the organ system capacity and functional reserve. The management of anesthesia is based on the characteristic changes in the elderly, related to physiology and pharmacokinetics, taking account of possible perioperative complications.