BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:PhD defence A. Stolze METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20260202T134500 DTEND:20260202T151500 DTSTAMP:20260202T134500 UID:2026/phd-defence-a-stolze@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260408T211803 LOCATION:(1st floor) Auditorium, Main building De Boelelaan 1105 1081 HV Amsterdam SUMMARY:PhD defence A. Stolze X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Risk stratification and early detection and management of postoperative complications in an aging population

Complications in the elderly after surgery: better prediction is necessary, additional checkups alone are not eno ugh

Hospitals use vari ous risk scores and checkups to predict which patients may experience problems after surgery. Stolze focused on how well these existing sc ores work in elderly people and whether additional, planned checkups by an anesthesiologist after surgery contribute to better outcomes, s uch as fewer complications, lower mortality, and a better quality of life.

The research results show that while the current risk sco res do provide some insight into which elderly patients are at increa sed risk, they are far from accurate. In other words, they help, but still leave too much uncertainty. Furthermore, Stolze demonstrates th at a standard additional visit by an anesthesiologist after surgery, in addition to usual care, does not significantly improve mortality r ates, the number of complications, or the perceived quality of life o f patients.

This does not mean that aftercare by anesthesiologi sts is unimportant, but it does mean that additional checkups do not automatically lead to better results. A key finding is that anesthesi ologists' advice is not always followed in practice. Moreover, the ri sk of death in the group studied was lower than expected, making the effect of additional care more difficult to demonstrate.

Health care is under pressure due to staff shortages and increasing demand. Stolze's research underscores that adding standard additional care fo r all elderly patients is not effective. Instead, a more targeted app roach is needed, specifically identifying the most vulnerable elderly and providing them with additional support.

According to Stolz e, the future lies in better personalized care. This can be achieved, for example, through improved risk models and the use of smart techn ology, such as continuous monitoring, to detect deterioration more qu ickly. This research makes it clear to patients, healthcare providers , and policymakers that investing in targeted and smart aftercare is essential to improve the quality of care for the elderly and to keep care affordable and feasible.

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Complications in the elderly after surgery: better pr ediction is necessary, additional checkups alone are not enough

Due to the aging population, more and more elderly people are undergo ing surgery. Although surgery is often necessary to improve quality o f life, older patients have an increased risk of complications after the procedure. Annick Stolze's research shows that the current way ho spitals assess and monitor these risks is still insufficiently tailor ed to this growing patient group. Hospitals use various risk scores a nd checkups to predict which patients may experience problems after s urgery. Stolze focused on how well these existing scores work in elde rly people and whether additional, planned checkups by an anesthesiol ogist after surgery contribute to better outcomes, such as fewer comp lications, lower mortality, and a better quality of life. The researc h results show that while the current risk scores do provide some ins ight into which elderly patients are at increased risk, they are far from accurate. In other words, they help, but still leave too much un certainty. Furthermore, Stolze demonstrates that a standard additiona l visit by an anesthesiologist after surgery, in addition to usual ca re, does not significantly improve mortality rates, the number of com plications, or the perceived quality of life of patients. This does n ot mean that aftercare by anesthesiologists is unimportant, but it do es mean that additional checkups do not automatically lead to better results. A key finding is that anesthesiologists' advice is not alway s followed in practice. Moreover, the risk of death in the group stud ied was lower than expected, making the effect of additional care mor e difficult to demonstrate. Healthcare is under pressure due to staff shortages and increasing demand. Stolze's research underscores that adding standard additional care for all elderly patients is not effec tive. Instead, a more targeted approach is needed, specifically ident ifying the most vulnerable elderly and providing them with additional support. According to Stolze, the future lies in better personalized care. This can be achieved, for example, through improved risk model s and the use of smart technology, such as continuous monitoring, to detect deterioration more quickly. This research makes it clear to pa tients, healthcare providers, and policymakers that investing in targ eted and smart aftercare is essential to improve the quality of care for the elderly and to keep care affordable and feasible. More inform ation on the thesis Risk stratification and early detection a nd management of postoperative complications in an aging population END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR