The population is aging. Advances in perioperative care and technology have made surgery a viable therapeutic option even in the extremes of age and health status, but surgery still carries significant short and long-term risks, especially for patients with poor functional status and multiple comorbidities. Internists play a big role in the care of the surgical patient, from the primary care physician who traditionally assesses risk and helps patients and surgeons decide whether surgery is appropriate to the hospitalist who co-manages patients in the postoperative period to the “SNFist” who manages their care in the skilled nursing facility following discharge. This talk will outline issues that are particularly important to the geriatric surgery patient and highlight opportunities for internists to be involved in improving the care this vulnerable population receives.

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