Background: Older patients are at a higher risk of complications and mortality when administered anesthesia. Factors associated with anesthetic complications in elderly patients are limited; particularly in large sample size.

Materials and methods: This study retrospectively reviewed all patients 65 years and older who received anesthetic procedures at University Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. The study period was from January 2010 and December 2011. Data were retrieved from medical charts and anesthetic records. Factors associated with perioperative complications were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results: There were 3,621 patients aged 65 years and older who received anesthesia during the study period. The average age was 73 years (SD 6.2) and 52% of patients were male. There were 10 factors associated with having perioperative complications including female gender, history of sulfa allergy, history of coronary artery disease, low platelet, history of hypertension, operation time more than 2 hours, combination of general and regional anesthesia, perianal operation, and orthopaedic/plastic surgery.

Conclusion: Elderly patients with risk factors for anesthetic complications should be aware during and post anesthetic periods.