Anaesthetic management for the elderly patient.

The number of anaesthetic services provided to the elderly is constantly increasing. In order to provide the best services possible, the anaesthetist must be familiar with the special characteristics of the elderly. There is no ideal type of anaesthesia. The strategy for management must be based on a thorough medical evaluation and must aim at correcting, if possible, any detected abnormality. The older patient must be constantly monitored during anaesthesia, medication administration must be adjusted, based on his individual response, and he must be monitored closely during the postoperative period.