Drug Aging
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The physiological effects of aging may alter the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of many anaesthetic drugs. Premedicants should be avoided in the very old, and intravenous induction agents given in reduced dosage. The new inhalational agents, desflurane and sevoflurane, may be useful in this patient group; sevoflurane can also be administered to induce anaesthesia. ⋯ Postoperative analgesia requires careful control in the elderly. Several methods of administration exist for relieving pain in this age group, but each has disadvantages. Anaesthesia in the elderly therefore requires skill and judgement based on these physiological and pharmacological considerations.