Should there be a mandatory age when surgeons must stop operating?

In an article in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research (2009;467:402-211), Ralph B. Blasier, MD, JD, of Wayne State University in Detroit, takes up the issue of the aging surgeon. 

“The question of when a surgeon should retire has been the subject of debate for decades,” he wrote. “Both anecdotal evidence and objective testing of surgeons suggest age causes deterioration in physical and cognitive performance.”

He also noted that, although no federally mandated retirement age exists for U.S. surgeons, surgeons must realize their skills will decline.

Renal & Urology News would like to put this question to its physician readers.