Pre-operative evaluation in geriatric patients: Are we over-investigating?

The population of the United States, as well as developing countries like India, is rapidly ageing. Surgical operations are more common in the elderly than in younger age groups. A comprehensive pre-operative evaluation of these elderly patients is an important component of improving perioperative outcomes. It is very different from the pre-operative assessment in younger patients, which usually encompasses evaluating cardiac risk for non-cardiac surgery and single end-organ functional assessment. Functional and cognitive impairment are additional risk factors associated with poorer outcomes in older patients. Guidelines for pre-operative assessment of elderly surgical patients have been developed by the American College of Surgeons and the American Geriatrics Society.