title: Geriatric Cardiology: An Emerging Discipline.
abstract: Given changing demographics, patients with cardiovascular (CV) disease in developed countries are now older and more complex than even a decade ago. This trend is expected to continue into the foreseeable future; accordingly, cardiologists are encountering patients with a greater number of comorbid illnesses as well as "geriatric conditions," such as cognitive impairment and frailty, which complicate management and influence outcomes. Simultaneously, technological advances have widened the therapeutic options available for patients, including those with the most advanced CV disease. In the setting of these changes, geriatric cardiology has recently emerged as a discipline that aims to adapt principles from geriatric medicine to everyday cardiology practice. Accordingly, the tasks of a "geriatric cardiologist" may include both traditional evidence-based CV management plus comprehensive geriatric assessment, medication reduction, team-based coordination of care, and explicit incorporation of patient goals into management. Given that the field is still in its relative infancy, the training pathways and structure of clinical programs in geriatric cardiology are still being delineated. In this review, we highlight the rationale behind geriatric cardiology as a discipline, several current approaches by geriatric cardiology programs, and future directions for the field.
authors.affiliation: Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology and Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA; Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA. Electronic address: john.dodson@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dodson
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Matlock
authors.affiliation: Section of Geriatric Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Forman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002309:Cardiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005853:Geriatrics; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D011157:Population Dynamics