title: Pharmacologic management of the older woman undergoing surgery.
abstract: Surgical intervention for both emergency and elective surgeries will increase as women live longer and maintain active lifestyles. Older women with operable conditions tolerate elective gynecologic and other nonvascular surgery with acceptable morbidity and mortality. However, increased medical comorbidities, with their associated increase in polypharmacy and perioperative risks as women age, make it important to a priori optimize perioperative medical conditions and medication management. Other considerations include assessing functional and cognitive status, since these may be impaired acutely with increased prevalence of drug use during surgical hospitalization. With aging and postmenopausal status, changes associated with aging appear to play a greater role than gender in pharmacologic responses. Surgical outcomes should be optimized to maintain and even improve women's quality of life.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Seattle, WA, USA. schiang@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Seine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Gerten
authors.forename: Evelyn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Granieri
authors.forename: Holly E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Richter
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000379:methods; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000503:physiopathology; D003071:Cognition; D015897:Comorbidity; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000379:methods; D041743:Herb-Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000502:physiology; D008099:Liver / Q000502:physiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs