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Title: pulmonary changes with aging

Category: Geriatrics

Keywords: geriatrics, elderly, pulmonary, pneumothorax (PubMed Search)

Posted: 9/13/2009 by Amal Mattu, MD (Updated: 7/21/2026)

Elderly patients are at higher risk of barotrauma with positive pressure ventilation (e.g. CPAP, BiPAP, and especially after intubation) because of decreased vital capacity and lung compliance. Watch those plateau pressures closely!

If an elderly patient develops hypotension within minutes of endotracheal intubation, always consider tension PTX (and don't forget about hypovolemia, as we've discussed before).


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