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A review of ASA physical status – historical perspectives and modern developments
Author(s) -
Mayhew D.,
Mendonca V.,
Murthy B. V. S.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1111/anae.14569
Subject(s) - medicine , american society of anesthesiologists , reliability (semiconductor) , subjectivity , physical examination , intensive care medicine , surgery , epistemology , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , philosophy
Summary The American Society of Anesthesiologists ( ASA ) physical status is a tool commonly used to classify a patient's physical fitness before surgery. Since its introduction in 1941 it has undergone very few modifications to improve its reliability and to eliminate subjectivity, despite vast changes in both surgical and anaesthetic technique. We present the history of the ASA physical status and review the literature on its applicability to contemporary anaesthetic practice.