Polypharmacy and perioperative medications in the elderly.
Polypharmacy is a significant and complex problem affecting more than 40% of the geriatric population. Accurate medication histories may be difficult to obtain, but must include over-the-counter remedies as well as prescription. Physiologic changes occur with aging that predispose elderly patients to adverse drug events. At a minimum, medications with significant anticholinergic properties should be recognized and avoided in the perioperative period.
Barnett
Sheila Ryan
SR
Harvard Medical School, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA. sbarnett@bidmc.harvard.edu
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000758:Anesthesia; D004347:Drug Interactions; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000592:standards; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D019990:Perioperative Care; D010599:Pharmacokinetics; D028321:Plant Preparations; D019338:Polypharmacy
D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D028321:Plant Preparations