title: Anesthetic considerations in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease is a form of dementia that is estimated to affect approximately 3 to 4 million Americans. Given the substantial number of people affected with this disease, it is likely that anesthesiologists will encounter many patients with Alzheimer's disease. Questions as to potential problems including informed consent, drug interactions, and preoperative progression of the disease may arise. This review describes anesthetic considerations, including pharmacologic and physiologic issues, in this growing population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Texas Tech University School of Medicine, Lubbock 79430, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.forename: Todd
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Alan David
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Kaye
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D000758:Anesthesia; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors