BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Preoperative evaluation can benefit from laboratory exams in specific patients. The habit of requesting a set of standardized exams has been questioned. The objective of this review was to analyze recent reports on the subject and compare their results. CONTENTS: The results obtained from a systematic revision of the evidence available from 1966 to 1996, from the recommendations of the task force of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, from the systematic revision of evidence from 1997 to 2002, and from the English National Health Service Orientation Guide. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative exams should not be based on standard routines, but on the patient's history, physical exam, and type and extent of surgery.
PREOPERATIVE EVALUATION
