Over three million surgeries are performed every year throughout the world. It is common practice for doctors to perform a pre surgical clearance t of the patient before surgery. A careful patient history should have been obtained before any examination and investigation.
What is Pre-Surgical clearance/ e2Checkup?
Preoperative physical examinations are usually performed at the advice of a surgeon to make sure that the patient is healthy enough to go through anesthesia and surgery safely. It involves a bodily analysis, cardiac assessment, lung function evaluation, and appropriate laboratory tests to determine patient health.
During a preoperative physical examination, experts will gather basic health-related information such as your medical reports, pre-existing medical conditions, and current medications. To recognize your current health condition, the doctor will ask you various questions to better understand your current situation.
Most surgeons recommend regular lab examinations afore admitting you to the health centre or performing specific outpatient actions. When these examinations are completed, they identify possible issues that could impede surgery if not recognized and treated in time.
Pre-operation checkup
Pre-op refers to the time before your surgery at which you will coincide with one of your healthcare providers. He/she might be your surgeon or general practitioner. At least a month before your surgery, you will need to have a checkup with your doctor. This is because your doctor will have time to deal with any medical situation you may have afore your operation.
During this checkup, you will be queried several questions regarding your health condition in the past. While taking your medical reports, your doctor will do a bodily examination.
Why Pre-Surgical clearance/Checkup is essential?
People about to go through surgery often need to obtain a pre-surgery checkup. It is imperative for surgeries across several medical fields, including orthopedics, plastics, neurology, oncology, cardiology, obstetrics, etc.
The preoperative medical clearance helps your doctor ensure that you have no hidden health problems that might impact the result of your operation. A medical clearance exam is the most effective way to perform preoperative medical clearance (a comprehensive and in-depth physical exam).
It’s undoubtedly true that any surgery puts tremendous stress on the body, no matter what it is. Many complications might arise during and after surgery; however, the surgeon will be prepared to handle any difficulty. Ultimately, the goal is to avoid any complications in the first place. Further, it should provide you with peace of mind that all the medical experts in your life are preparing for the very best possible outcome in your surgery.
Basics tests
These are some of the utmost familiar tests performed before operation:
- Chest X-Rays: The use of X-rays can assist in diagnosing the cause of shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing, and particular types of fever. They may also help identify heart, lungs, and breathing abnormalities.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG): The electrocardiogram (ECG) tests record the heart’s electrical activity. The test can diagnose abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias or dysrhythmias), find damaged heart muscle, and help to discover the reason for chest pain, darting heartbeats (palpitations), and heart murmurs.
- Urinalysis: The urinalysis examination helps detect kidney and bladder contamination and diabetes. In some cases, urinalysis can also detect illicit substances in the body.
- White Blood Count: A white blood count test can help detect illnesses such as fevers and contamination. It can also determine whether an individual is using certain medicines that influence the count of white blood cells. Additionally, you may require one or more of the following blood tests before operation:
- Glucose Test: This test provides valuable information for the management of diabetes. An accurate blood sugar test can help detect the outcome of diabetes medicines on blood sugar levels and diagnose high or low blood sugar levels.
- Potassium Test: In this test, potassium, sodium, and other electrolytes are measured in the blood. Electrolytes are essential for regulating heart rhythms and other bodily purposes.
- Complete Blood Count (CBC): A complete blood count (CBC) calculates the number of red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets (PLTs). As each type of blood cell performs a vital duty in the body’s functioning, measuring their levels can provide valuable health information.
- Coagulation studies (PT/PPT): The enzyme coagulase is responsible for blood plasma clotting. This examination is executed on Gram-positive, catalase-positive species to diagnose coagulase-positive staphylococcus aureus. A clot may form around contamination inventive by this bacterium, protecting it from phagocytosis. This test distinguishes Staphylococcus aureus from other coagulase-negative staphylococcus species.
- Sickle Cell Testing: It is crucial to offer preoperative testing to identify risks before anaesthesia is administered, whether surgical or dental. It is essential for ethnic groups with a family history of homozygous sickle cell anaemia or sickle cell trait, especially in cases with no previous surgical history. These groups include:
- Africans
- Asians
- Middle Eastern
- Caribbean
- Eastern Mediterranean
- Spirometry: In patients with obstructive or restrictive disease patterns, spirometry tests can provide a valuable measurement of pulmonary physiology.
- Pregnancy Test: The need for a test depends on the risk posed to the fetus by the surgery and anaesthesia. This risk should be explained to the patient in advance. If there is a possibility of pregnancy, the woman should be sensitively questioned. A test should be performed with the woman’s consent in case of doubt.
Do all patients need a Pre-surgical Clearance?
No, the surgical team will determine if you need a physical examination before the surgery or not. Physical examinations are not generally required for patients scheduled for a low-risk surgical procedure. Patients who don’t take any prescription medications and do not have chronic health situations such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, or heart disease also do not need preoperative checkups.
In the absence of a physical examination before surgery, an anaesthesia team member will meet with you on the day of your procedure to inquire some questions and obtain information about your overall health.
References:
- https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/preparing-for-surgery-what-you-need-to-know retrieved on April 02, 2022.
- https://alpharettainternalmed.com/pre-operative-physical-examination/ retrieved on April 02, 2022.
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/tests-performed-before-surgery retrieved on April 02, 2022.
