Perioperative care in elderly patients undergoing thyroid surgery.

ABSTRACT

The features of western world population are rapidly changing. The increment geriatric population obliges clinicians to implement specific recommendations and guidelines to manage these patients. In the field of thyroid surgery, when indications are represented by benign conditions, surgeons and endocrinologists tent to avoid surgery for the increased perioperative risks in the over 70 year old population. We reviewed our experience in thyroid surgery in geriatric patients within the environment of a "week surgery unit". This unit was conceived to offer a highly specialized setting for thyroid patients needing short stay after surgery. Results showed that the surgical outcomes were comparable to the ones from third surgery in young patients. The week surgery approach is the best and safest formula to offer to the geriatric population needing thyroid surgery.