ABSTRACT
Background: Advanced age is associated with the physiologic process of aging and decreased functional reserve of organs. These patients are often frail and have several comorbid conditions. The physiological changes in the aging cardiovascular system affect the arterial and venous vasculature, myocardium, and autonomic nervous system, making the older person more prone to cardiovascular instability. In addition to the physiological changes, the cardiovascular status of the older person tends to be compromised by associated pathological conditions that are more common with increasing age. This study aimed to analyze cardiovascular challenges in geriatric anesthesia after induction of GA. Material & Methods: This prospective study was conducted at the Department of Anesthesia, Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka, Bangladesh. The study was carried out from April 2016 to September 2016. A total of 60 subjects were selected as per inclusion criteria. Subjects were divided into 2 groups to compare the parameters among the non-elderly and elderly respondents, Group A (age ?60 years) and Group B (age >60 years). Statistical analysis of the results was obtained by using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS-17) software. Results: In this study, 30 (50%) patients belonged to group A with ?60 years of age and 30 (50%) patients belonged to group B with >60 years of age. Among the respondents 20 were male and 10 were female in group A, and 23 were male and 7 were female in group B. Regarding pre-existing cardiovascular co-morbid conditions, most patients (5, 16.67%) suffered from hypertension, followed by atherosclerosis (2, 6.67%) and 1 patient (3.33%) had cardiac arrhythmias in group A. Most of the patients (7, 23.33%) suffered from hypertension followed by congestive heart failure (6, 20.0%), 5 patients (16.67%) had atherosclerosis, 5 patients (16.67%) had coronary artery disease, 4 patients (13.33%) went through cardiac arrhythmias and the rest 3 (10.0%) patients suffered from aortic stenosis. The mean difference of SBP between the groups 20 minutes before and after induction of general anesthesia showed a statistically significant difference at 5,10,15 and 20th-minute follow-ups. (P=<0.05). The mean difference of DBP between the groups 20 minutes before and after giving general anesthesia showed a statistically significant difference at 5, 10, 15, and 20th-minute follow-up. (P=<0.05) The mean difference in heart rate between the groups 20 minutes before and after induction of general anesthesia showed statistically significant differences at 10, 15, and 20th minute follow up. (P=<0.05). Conclusion: T This study revealed that elderly patients suffered the most from hypertension followed by heart failure and coronary artery diseases. These pre-existing cardiovascular diseases along with hemodynamic instability during the surgical procedure after general anesthesia pointed towards a great challenge. Thus, care of the elderly patient requires thorough preoperative assessment and planning regarding both anesthetic and surgical techniques and the involvement of a multidisciplinary clinical team knowledgeable about and interested in the management of the elderly surgical patient.