Discussion
The objectives of preoperative evaluation are to determine the risk to the patient of the proposed procedure and to minimize known risks. These are achieved by the following:
- Identifying unrecognized comorbid disease and risk factors for medical complications of surgery
- Optimizing the preoperative medical condition
- Recognizing and treating potential complications
- Working effectively as a member of the preoperative team (including surgical and anesthesia colleagues)
In a healthy patient as the one described above with very low risk of mortality, a very minimal evaluation is sufficient prior to surgery. The factors influencing peri and postoperative risk and the evaluation in healthy patients are enumerated below.