Mastering Geriatric Surgery: Managing Frailty, Sarcopenia, and other Geriatric Issues in Surgery

The book provides current principles and practices for integrating geriatric management with surgical and perioperative care. The book discusses the science of aging and how this impacts surgery and surgical considerations. It focuses on the concepts of frailty and sarcopenia accompanying surgical patients. It also provides insights into the optimal model of care for surgical patients with reduced functional reserves and specific considerations on what should be considered optimal outcomes and how to achieve them.

With rapidly aging populations, surgical and perioperative care teams are presented with patients of increasing median ages. The chapters cover current surgical practice incorporating management of geriatric issues for holistic and effective surgical care where value is captured by the patient and explain how to deal not only with the pathology of the surgical issues but also with the aging person within which the surgical pathology resides. Each chapter provides helpful take-home messages. The book is written by experienced surgeons, physicians, anesthetists, oncologists, nursing, and allied health professionals.

This book is beneficial for surgeons, surgical trainees, perioperative physicians, trainees of anesthesia, geriatric medicine, and perioperative medicine.

Prof Kok-Yang Tan is an associate professor of surgery specializing in minimally invasive colorectal surgery with a special interest in low rectal cancers and advanced endoscopy. He is the chair of the general surgery residency advisory committee of Singapore and also a member of the Specialist Accreditation Board of Singapore. He is the clinical director of the geriatric surgery program at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore. He is the editor of several books on surgery in the older person and has been on the international advisory board of digestive endoscopy and the editorial boards of several journals including the European Journal of Surgical Oncology.  He also serves on multiple committees at the ministry of health of Singapore. He served as the president of the Society of Colorectal Surgeons of Singapore and is actively involved in projects and clinical research of challenging groups of patients and founded the Geriatric Surgery Society of Singapore in 2017. He was awarded the public administration medal (bronze) by the government of Singapore in 2023.

Dr. Daniel Jin-Keat Lee is a colorectal surgeon in private practice in Singapore. He formerly served as Head of the Colorectal Surgery Service and Surgical Lead for the Geriatric Surgical Service at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where he led several key initiatives in colorectal care and surgical services for older adults.

During his tenure, Dr. Lee specialised in managing advanced and locally recurrent rectal cancer, complex proctology, and minimally invasive pelvic and rectal surgery. He was also actively involved in emergency and trauma surgery, contributing subspecialty expertise in colorectal and pelvic trauma. His leadership during this period earned his team the National Healthcare Group’s “Excellence in Action” award for exceptional service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Lee developed a strong interest in geriatric surgery and remains committed to improving perioperative outcomes for older patients, particularly in emergency settings. His research focuses on advanced cancer, prehabilitation and sarcopenia in surgical patients, and he has published in leading journals such as Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, and the Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore.

Dr. Priscilla Ng is the geriatrics lead for the geriatric surgical service and integrated perioperative clinic at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore. She is also the vice-president of the Geriatric Surgery Society of Singapore. Dr. Ng has a subspecialty interest in perioperative medicine and orthogeriatrics. She has completed her master of science in perioperative medicine at University College London and a fellowship in perioperative medicine for older people undergoing surgery (POPS) service at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London. She is passionate about improving perioperative care through care integration, quality improvement, interprofessional education, and research collaborations.