Open AccessPreoperative Evaluation of Pediatric Surgical Patients with Multisystem Considerations
Author(s) -
Lynne R. Ferrari
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
anesthesia and analgesia/anesthesia and analgesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.404
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 1526-7598
pISSN - 0003-2999
DOI - 10.1213/01.ane.0000133910.55244.0e
Subject(s) - medicine , perioperative , multidisciplinary approach , intensive care medicine , medical emergency , surgery , social science , sociology
Fewer and fewer patients spend time in the hospital in advance of a surgical or interventional procedure requiring anesthesia care. As a result, there is increasing reliance on a thorough preoperative evaluation directed toward identifying anesthetic risks. For this to occur, each medical institution must have a clear and comprehensive system that processes patients during the preoperative period. There are specific and unique personnel and system requirements for the accumulation of multidisciplinary information in the pediatric patient population. The justification for the cost of this type of program is the savings realized by the decrease in wasted operating room time due to inadequate or incomplete patient preparation. The following is a description of a successful perioperative evaluation and preparation process that has been in place for 7 yr in a major pediatric academic institution.