RELEVANCE OF THE “APOIO” PROTOCOL IN THE PRE-OPERATIVE EVALUATION OF ELDERLY PEOPLE

Abstract

Introduction: Chronological age should not be considered a contraindication or impediment to performing any medical procedure, as long as there is a technical indication for it. This is because chronological and biological ages are not always equivalent. The aging process is heterogeneous and individual, varying according to genetic, environmental and socioeconomic factors. Objective: To review published care on multidimensional surgical care for the elderly and the role that the APOIO protocol can have in decision-making. Method: Integrative review carried out by collecting information published on virtual platforms in Portuguese and English. Initially, a search was carried out for descriptors related to the topic and identified through DeCS using the following terms: “preoperative evaluation, elderly, fractures, perioperative complications, and surgery” and articles that used the APOIO protocol with AND or OR search, considering the title and/or abstract. Afterwards, considering only those that were most related to the topic, the full texts were read. Result: 21 articles were included. Conclusion: APOIO is a multidimensional assessment that communicates geriatrics with anesthesiology and surgical specialties, integrating clinicians and surgeons in decision-making regarding surgical treatment for the elderly. It offers a conclusion with a written text that summarizes which systems are vulnerable, recommending perioperative care and precautions to be adopted to minimize the risks of the procedure.