RESUMO
With the expanding elderly population in Japan, general anesthesia in patients above 80 years of age has become routine and is increasing. We report on a case of general anesthesia for a 100-year-old woman with chronic heart failure. This patient could not decide on anything about her own treatment plan because of dementia, and the operation was undertaken from strong request of her family. There was no cardiopulmonary instability during the operation, but heart failure became worse postoperatively, and it took nearly a month before the patient could leave the hospital. As for the operation and general anesthesia in the elderly, it is important not only to assess their perioperative physical risks but also to consider family background and postoperative course.
