Pediatric Pre-Anesthesia Assessment
The purpose of a pre-anesthesia assessment is to establish a plan of care and minimize anesthesia risks for patients scheduled for general anesthesia. Guidelines are established by the anesthesia department at Children's Health℠.
Pre-Anesthesia Assessment
The plan of care will be developed based on:
History
Review of pertinent, available medical records
Interview with parent/legal guardian
Physical examination
Comprehensive examination
Laboratory/radiology
Not routinely done for all patients
May be obtained based on patient procedure and surgeon's recommendations
Medication recommendations given for the following:
Heart medications
Asthma medications
Seizure medications
Endocrine medications (after obtaining recommendations from endocrine provider)
Pre-Anesthesia Visit
Below is a list of medical conditions that require a pre-anesthesia visit with an anesthesiologist.
Cardiology
Patient with any heart abnormalities
All patients followed by a cardiologist (these patients will need cardiology clearance prior to anesthesia)
Endocrine
Pan Hypopituitarism
Hyper/Hypothyroidism
Hematology/Oncology
All blood disorders (i.e. sickle cell anemia, hemophilia)
All oncology patients
Musculoskeletal disorders
Diagnosed or suspected for muscular dystrophy (MD)
All muscle biopsies
Nephrology
All patients on dialysis
Neurology
Newly diagnosed and uncontrolled seizures
Chronic seizures
Neurosurgery
All patients must be seen 24-72 hours prior to scheduled OR procedure
Pulmonary
Uncontrolled asthma
Tracheostomy and ventilator dependent
CPAP or BIPAP use
All unstable lung conditions (i.e. cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic lung disease)
Transplant
All transplant patients
Other
Patients with any congenital defects and genetic conditions
If your child is not followed by Children's Health, please bring the patient's medical history and records with you to your appointment.
