Background: Recently, the value of routine preoperative screening test has been questioned especially in healthy children scheduled for elective minor surgery. We have thought that perhaps enough history taking and physical examination may replace the...
Background: Recently, the value of routine preoperative screening test has been questioned especially in healthy children scheduled for elective minor surgery. We have thought that perhaps enough history taking and physical examination may replace these test. We made the child health check list and parents to answer it. Then we compared the usefulness between preoperative screening test and child health check list.
Methods: Group A includes 67 children who's parents had answered the child health check list, group B includes 63 children who underwent routine preoperative screening tests. Each group was devided to ambulatory surgery patients(group A1, B1) and admitted patients for surgery(group A2, B2). Comparison values between two groups included preoperative evaluation time, operation time, anesthsia time and recovery time. Also clinical side effects were evaluated.
Results: The operation time, anesthsia time and recovery time in each group had no statistical differences. However there were statistical difference of preoperative evaluation time. It was significantly decreased in group A1(4.0 ± 1.2), A2(5.4 ± 1.3) compared to control group B1(7.6 ± 1.7), B2(8.6 ± 1.8).
Conclusion: The use of child heath check list saved time for preoperative evaluation and effort of anesthesiologist. It also decreased the discomfort of the children by omitting the invasive procedure and reduced the medical costs.