Main description:

The elderly represent the fastest growing segment of the population in developed countries, reflected in the patient population presenting to EDs and hospitals. These patients more often than not have greater co–morbidities, more complicated workups and utilize more laboratory and radiologic services.

This text is designed to teach emergency physicians how best to care for this specific demographic of patients. It addresses physiologic changes, high–risk conditions, and atypical presentations associated with elderly patients in the ED that result in frequent misdiagnosis or delays in diagnosis. It instructs the readers how best to care for elderly patients in order to minimize morbidity and mortality, addressing some of the difficult psychosocial issues that confront health care providers that care for elderly patients, such as psychiatric disease and end–of–life care. The utility of this text is not limited to emergency physicians, but it should be useful to all health care providers involved in the treatment of elderly patients with acute medical or surgical conditions.

Contents:

1. GENERAL ASSESSMENT OF THE ELDERLY PATIENT


Scott Wilber and Alison Southern

2. PHYSIOLOGIC CHANGES WITH AGING
Robert Anderson and Kate D. Zimmerman

3. FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT
Scott Wilber and Kirk Stiffler, MD, MPH

4. PHARMACOLOGICAL ISSUES (INCL POLYPHARMACY, DRUG INTERACTIONS)
Jon Mark Hirshon, Denise Nassisi and Ruben E. Olmedo

5. CONFUSION AND ALTERED MENTAL STATUS (INITIAL ASSESSMENT, DDX)
Maura Kennedy, Josh Joseph and Maura Kennedy

6. PSYCHIATRIC ISSUES (FOCUS: DEPRESSION, DEMENTIA, AND DELIRIUM)
Maura Kennedy, Josh Joseph and Maura Kennedy

7. ABDOMINAL CONDITIONS: SURGICAL
Maura Kennedy and Katren Tyler, MD

8. ABDOMINAL CONDITIONS: NON–SURGICAL
Maura Kennedy and Katren Tyler, MD

9. BACK PAIN
Ula Hwang and Michael Winters

10. HEADACHE
Andrew Chang, Benjamin W. Friedman and Rebecca Nerenberg

11. DYSPNEA
Robert Anderson, Siamak Moayedi and Mercedes Torres

12. EVALUATION OF CHEST PAIN
Andrew Chang and Marianne Haughey

13. ACUTE CARDIAC DISEASE IN THE ELDER PATIENT (INCL MI, ETC)
Andrew Chang and Susanne DeMeester

14. SYNCOPE
Vaishal Tolia, Julie Watkins–Torrey, and Benjamin W. Friedman

15. STROKE AND TIA
Vaishal Tolia, Julie Watkins–Torrey, MD, Roxanna Sadri, MD, Kama Guluma, MD

16. INFECTIONS (WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON EARLY SEPSIS)
Scott Wilber and Jason Ondrejka, DO

17. DIZZINESS AND VERTIGO
Andrew Chang, Alessandro Cancelliere MD, PhD and Jonathan Edlow

18. WEAKNESS AND FUNCTIONAL DECLINE
Scott Wilber amd (Mary) Colleen Bhalla, MD

19. FALLS
Robert Anderson, Tania D. Strout and Robert Anderson

20. TRAUMA ISSUES (THIS WILL PERTAIN A BIT MORE TO MAJOR TRAUMA AND RESUS)
Robert Anderson, Christopher R. Carpenter and Peter Rosen

21. SURGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN THE ED
Vaishal Tolia, Charles O′Connell MD, Davut Savaser, MD, and Colleen Campbell, MD

22. ONCOLOGIC EMERGENCIES
Vaishal Tolia, Gabriel Wardi, MD Alexander Bromfiend, MD, Leslie Oyama, MD

23. ABUSE AND NEGLECT
Jon Mark Hirshon, Michael Bond and Ken Butler

24. PAIN MANAGEMENT
Ula Hwang and Teresita Hogan

25. ETHICAL ISSUES AND END OF LIFE CARE
Jon Mark Hirshon, Philip Magidson and Jon Mark Hirshon

26. DISPOSITION, TRANSITIONS OF CARE
Ula Hwang, Barbara Morano and Carmen Morano

27. THE GERIATRIC ED
Jon Mark Hirshon, Philip Magidson, Elizabeth Couser and John Schumacher