[Elderly patients in the Emergency Department. Is it the best scenario to make complex decisions?]

Abstract

Clinical evaluation of elderly patients must include a comprehensive geriatric assessment. This is vital when deciding if a patient with a demonstrated critical disease should receive an active treatment, defined as the set of measures to treat an acute disease. The clinical outcomes are presented of four elderly patients who were admitted from the Emergency Department and whose severe acute diseases were treated with Comfort Measures Only. During their admission in the Geriatrics Acute Unit, and due to a reported clinical improvement, an active treatment was provided. All patients were discharge from the hospital after a favourable clinical course.

Keywords: Anciano; Decision making; Elderly; Emergency Department; Geriatric assessment; Toma de decisiones; Urgencias; Valoración geriátrica integral.