Special Populations & Operations · Chapter 31 Not started

Geriatric Emergencies

Older patients break easier, hide symptoms, and carry medication lists that change everything.

Key points

Aging blunts pain perception and compensatory reserve: serious illness and injury present subtly — take vague complaints seriously.
Lower-energy falls cause bigger injuries: osteoporosis means hip, wrist, and vertebral fractures from ordinary mechanisms.
Beta blockers can hide tachycardia; anticoagulants turn minor head strikes into major bleeds — every head-injured anticoagulated patient gets evaluated.
Ask about medications, and bring the list; polypharmacy is both a clue and a cause.
Cardiac events in older patients may present as weakness, shortness of breath, or confusion instead of chest pain.
Older skin tears and burns easily, and thermoregulation is impaired — insulate early.

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