This comprehensive text will provide a state-of-the art review of the field of geriatric acute care surgery, reviewing new epidemiology data about risk factors for this type of trauma. Assessment of the geriatric trauma patient is unique, and this population requires special attention. Moreover, geriatric patients often suffer from mild to severe cognitive impairment, cardiovascular, and pulmonary insufficiency, which can complicate trauma. This comorbidity informs the evaluation, diagnosis and management of geriatric trauma and stresses the importance of team-based interprofessional care for affected patients. Opening chapters describe general principles of geriatric acute care, the physiology of aging, frailty, injury prevention, and goals of care. The main section of the book presents the latest treatment strategies for traumatic orthopedic, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal trauma, including sepsis, complications and critical care monitoring, before turning to nursing considerations for this ever-growing population. Additional chapters on outcomes and COVID management complete the presentation. Providing a concise yet comprehensive summary of the current status of the field that will help guide patient management and stimulate investigative efforts, this text will serve as a very useful resource for physicians, medical students, residents, nurses, therapists, and researchers dealing with, and interested in this challenging type of trauma.

"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

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.

The field of emergency general surgery encompasses a wide array of surgical diseases, ranging from the simple to the complex. These diseases may include inflammatory, infectious, and hemorrhagic processes spanning the entire gastrointestinal tract. Complications of abdominal wall hernias, compartment syndromes, skin and soft tissue infections, and surgical diseases are significantly complex in special populations, including elderly, obese, pregnant, immunocompromised, and cirrhotic patients. This book covers emergency general surgery topics in a succinct, practical and understandable fashion. After reviewing the general principles in caring for the emergency general surgery patient, this text discusses current evidence and the best practices stratified by organ system, including esophageal, gastroduodenal, hepatobiliary and pancreatic, small and large bowel, anorectal, thoracic, and hernias. Chapters are written by experts in the field and present a logical, straightforward, and easy to understand approach to the emergency general surgery patient, as well as provide patient care algorithms where appropriate. Emergency General Surgery: A Practical Approach provides surgeons and surgery residents with a practical and evidence-based approach to diagnosing and managing a wide array of surgical diseases encountered on emergency general surgery call.

Acute Care for Elders (ACE) is a model of care designed to improve functional outcomes and to improve the processes for the care of older patients. This model includes: an environment of care designed to promote improved function for older patients; an interdisciplinary team that works together to identify/address the vulnerabilities of the older patients; nursing care plans for prevention of disability; early planning to help prepare the patient to return home and a review of medical care to prevent iatrogenic illness. Acute Care for Elders: A Model for Interdisciplinary Care is an essential new resource aimed at assisting providers in developing and sustaining an ACE program. The interdisciplinary approach provides an introduction to the key vulnerabilities of older adults and defines the lessons learned from the Acute Care for Elders model. Expertly written chapters describe critical aspects of ACE: the interdisciplinary approach and the focus on function. The fundamental principles of ACE described in this book will further assist hospital leaders to develop, implement, sustain and disseminate the Acute Care for Elders model of care. Acute Care for Elders: A Model for Interdisciplinary Care is of great value to geriatricians, hospitalists, advance practice nurses, social workers and all others who provide high quality care to older patients.

A practical guide to perioperative cognitive disorders, the most common complications of anesthesia and surgery in older people.

Provides coverage of the issues surrounding geriatric critical care, emphasising assessment and treatment.

The purpose of this book is to give providers of all levels a simple and essential source of practical information in treating the elderly trauma and emergency surgery patient. The Introduction instructs practitioners how to evaluate and assess risk including frailty and use this information in Goals of Care discussions to facilitate shared decision making so crucial to this population. The individual chapters consist of best practices and care guidelines from some of the most well-known thought leaders and best trauma centers in the country across the spectrum from geriatricians to trauma and acute care surgeons and nurses. Each chapter contains easy-to-read algorithms and references that the readers can use and adapt for their own setting. Chapters on Pre-hospital care will help guide EMS organizations and even systems in the right care and triage of the elderly. Each chapter also contains a Nursing Focus section for helpful nursing tips in caring for the elderly with those injuries and problems. These sections make this book a must-have for any center looking to improve its care of the elderly patient or just trying to be sure its care is already the best it can be. A special section on Post Acute Care will introduce the provider to the common issues surrounding particular disposition destinations for the elderly patient. This will facilitate discussions with families, case managers and facilities to help improve time to disposition.

This innovative, comprehensive book covers the key elements of perioperative management of older patients. The book's chapter structure coincides with the clinical path patients tread during their treatment, from preoperative evaluation to post-hospital care. Epidemiological aspects and aging processes are illustrated, providing keys to understanding the quick expansion of geriatric surgery and defining the clinical profile of older surgical patients in a cybernetic perspective. Preoperative evaluation and preparation for surgery, including medication reconciliation and pre-habilitation, are developed in the light of supporting decision-making about surgery in an evidence-based and patient-focused way. Intra- and postoperative management are discussed, aiming to tailor anesthetic, surgical and nursing approaches to specific patients' needs, in order to prevent both general and age-related complications. This volume also addresses issues relevant to geriatric surgery, from different organizational models to clinical risk management and systems engineering applied to hospital organization.

The global population is aging rapidly, and as a result emergency abdominal surgery for acute abdomen in the elderly has become a global issue. Demographic changes in the population have also altered the profile of emergency abdominal surgery, with typical causes of acute abdomen in the elderly including acute cholecystitis, incarcerated hernia, bowel obstruction and appendicitis. In these patients, recovery from surgery is often complicated, leading to longer hospital stays compared with younger patients. Laparoscopy in the emergency setting is well established and offers a number of advantages over open surgical approaches, such as reduced postoperative pain, length of hospital stay and complication rates. While laparoscopic surgery for acute diverticulitis has become more widespread, in other conditions, like small bowel obstruction and perforated peptic ulcer, laparotomy is still used in about 70% of cases. Further, despite the urgent need for knowledge regarding surgical treatment of acute abdomen in the elderly, there is still a lack of evidence in this relevant clinical field. This book analyzes the management strategies and critically evaluates the outcomes of laparoscopic emergency surgery for acute abdomen in the elderly according to the principles of evidence-based medicine. Discussing each topic clearly, and promoting the use of emergency laparoscopy in elderly patients, the book is intended for young general surgeons and surgeons in training with at least a basic knowledge of surgery for acute abdomen. It is also useful as a quick reference tool during on-call shifts.