PREOPERATIVE EVALUATION OF THE HEALTHY PATIENT

Of the millions of patients operated on each year in the United States, many represent Class I anesthetic risks. There is a great paucity of research into the optimal evaluation of these patients. We have made a number of recommendations for the preoperative evaluation of the healthy patient. These recommendations are made on a sound theoretical basis. As we have improved our surgical technique and perioperative mortality decreases, it becomes more and more important to prospectively test preoperative screening modalities so that we may maximize already impressive surgical success rates and decrease unnecessary costs.