Patients with advanced age or significant health problems undergoing spine surgery pose a unique set of problems and challenges to their treatment team. In her review of the current rate of risks, Dr. Lee from the University of Washington and Harborview provides a comprehensive overview of concerns that can affect the decision making of patients and the treatment team from an anesthesiologist’s point of view. Decreasing reimbursement of healthcare providers and hospitals for Medicare patients paired with increasing malpractice exposure also creates a potential for an unfavorable care delivery situation for elderly patients. From the Series:The Aging Spine