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

Diabetes
Pan Hypopituitarism
Congenital Adrenal Hypoplasia (CAH)
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.