title: [Vascular surgery in the elderly].
abstract: The prevalence of vascular disease among the elderly population is high (approximately 20%). The morbidity and mortality of many vascular operations show no differences between the fit elderly and younger patients. A major problem is that the elderly are often not diagnosed and treated early enough to prevent emergency operations, which carry a much higher mortality. Many new surgical techniques, especially endovascular interventions, have made vascular surgery less invasive. These advances have increased the potential of life saving and prolonging vascular surgery that can be offered to all patients regardless of age. Risk-benefit analysis, especially in elderly patients, is a cornerstone of proper patient selection. The main goal of vascular surgery in the elderly is preservation of quality of life and independence. Surgery of a ruptured aneurysm is a life saving exception. Indications for treatment in the elderly remains an individual decision making process. Advanced age should not be considered as a limitation or contraindication for carotid, aneurysm and bypass surgery. Age is not a disease, it is just a chapter of life.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Gefässchirurgie, Vaskuläre und Endovaskuläre Chirurgie, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg. dittmar_boeckler@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Böckler
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: J-R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Allenberg
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000601:surgery; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D000075202:Contraindications; D004630:Emergencies; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018579:Patient Selection; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D015607:Stents; D020521:Stroke / Q000517:prevention & control; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000401:mortality