Open AccessVariability and Costs of Low-Value Preoperative Testing for Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery
Author(s) -
Alex H. S. Harris,
Esther L. Meerwijk,
Robin N. Kamal,
Erika D. Sears,
Mary T. Hawn,
Dan Eisenberg,
Andrea K. Finlay,
Hildi Hagedorn,
Seshadri C. Mudumbai
Publication year - 2019
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/ane.0000000000004291
Subject(s) - medicine , interquartile range , logistic regression , carpal tunnel release , poisson regression , surgery , emergency medicine , carpal tunnel syndrome , environmental health , population
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Choosing Wisely Top-5 list of activities to avoid includes "Don't obtain baseline laboratory studies in patients without significant systemic disease (ASA I or II) undergoing low-risk surgery - specifically complete blood count, basic or comprehensive metabolic panel, coagulation studies when blood loss (or fluid shifts) is/are expected to be minimal." Accordingly, we define low-value preoperative tests (LVTs) as those performed before minor surgery in patients without significant systemic disease. The objective of the current study was to examine the extent, variability, drivers, and costs of LVTs before carpal tunnel release (CTR) surgeries in the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA).