Anaesthesia and the elderly patient, seeking better neurological outcomes

Introduction Elderly patients in need of surgery under anaesthesia present the challenge of maintaining their especially delicate balance under stress conditions. Objective This review of the literature aims to bring the anaesthesiologist closer to this group of patients, examining some of the physiological changes that occur with ageing, the effects that anaesthesia might have on their postoperative neurological state, the monitoring options, and the most frequent neurological complications. Materials and methods A search was conducted in the LILACS, MEDLINE and GOOGLE SCHOLAR databases using the terms anaesthesia, elderly, outcomes and neurologic, together with an ambispective snowball search from 2000 until today. Conclusion Institutions and staff responsible for the care of elderly patients must have the training and knowledge necessary for providing comprehensive treatment to this group of patients, in order to help them maintain their independence and physical and mental health which are so important during the final stage of life.