Older people undergo complex surgeries. Often, it does not end well.

The surgeon clarified that she could also choose a palliative approach to maintain comfort. Despite her worries, the woman opted for surgery.

The problem, said Dr. Schwarze, was that "the kind of language we use to explain the surgery does not really describe the experience."

After eight hours in the operating room, the woman went to ICU and then suffered a cardiac arrest. She underwent another six-hour operation before returning to the IUC.

The next day, "when the surgical team saw her, she was delighted -" Wow, she's doing very well, "said Dr. Schwarze. "Then his family came in."

For years, the woman had told them, but no to her surgeons, that she was afraid of resuscitation centers and retirement homes. Now, sedated, swollen, breathing through a tube, she was unable to open her eyes, speak or shake hands.

Even though the procedure was perfect, she had to go to a nursing home, probably on a permanent basis.

"They did not know it was part of the routine," said Dr. Schwarze about the affected family. "They said," It's not O.K. You can not do this to him. You have to stop. "

At their insistence, the hospital interrupted treatment, allowing the woman to die.

The geriatric surgery audit program, currently being tested in eight hospitals across the country, could help prevent such horrors. Finally, patients and families will be able to choose more active hospitals than those who do not.