APP Master Sessions-Neurosurgery in the Geriatric Patient

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, Sentil Ranakrishnan, a physical therapist and program director at Duke University, discusses the challenges of treating geriatric patients in neurosurgery. He highlights the increasing number of older Americans and the fact that they are living longer and remaining active. As a result, more older people are seeking surgical treatments. Ranakrishnan emphasizes the importance of considering the unique risks and needs of elderly patients in neurosurgery, such as decreased organ function, obesity, cognitive decline, and social support. He also discusses the need for careful pre-operative evaluation, including assessing functional status, cognitive function, nutritional status, and chronic disease burden. He emphasizes the significance of frailty index scores in predicting post-operative complications and outcomes. Ranakrishnan suggests strategies for optimizing the care of geriatric patients, such as early reorientation protocols, minimizing anticholinergic medications, providing adequate pain control, promoting early mobilization, and considering patient-specific factors when making surgical decisions. He also highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and geriatric consultation in optimizing care for older patients.

Asset Caption

Senthil Radhakrishnan, PA-C

Keywords

geriatric patients

neurosurgery

elderly patients

pre-operative evaluation

frailty index scores

post-operative complications

optimizing care

surgical decisions

geriatric consultation