الفهرس 
Introduction and aim of the workOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
In the last 50 years, the number of people over 65 years of age has tripled in the world. In Europe, they are expected to represent 30% of the population within 40 years. As a consequence, the demand for surgery by older patients is increasing.
Anaesthesia for the elderly has to take into account the specific physiology of the aged that develops naturally during the course of life. Therefore, not all physiological changes of ageing should be looked at as pathological entities because they may be completely compensated for in normal life and their potentially pathological character is revealed only in extreme conditions. To adjust anaesthetic management for the elderly with regard to individual pathophysiological changes related to ageing, it is necessary to examine patients with regard to the specific organ systems that are of special relevance for the anaesthetist and may directly change the individual anaesthetic approach to care safely for the old.