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Perioperative Risk Assessment

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Complexities in Colorectal Surgery

Abstract

While no surgery can be completely risk-free, a thorough preoperative evaluation serves to identify and control perioperative risk as much as possible. Major advances in surgery and anesthesia and improvements in preoperative risk assessment and management have led to a dramatic decrease in perioperative morbidity and mortality. This, in turn, has expanded the eligible patient population for major surgical procedures to include patients who would not have been considered surgical candidates in the past. Perioperative risk assessment has three fundamental goals: (1) to identify previously undetected comorbid conditions or factors, (2) to evaluate known conditions or factors that may increase the risk of perioperative complications, and (3) to optimize medical conditions preoperatively to reduce perioperative risk. Perioperative risk can be classified into three categories: patient-specific risk, procedure-specific risk, and anesthetic-specific risk. Although these categories exist as distinct concepts, in practical terms, they are not independent and must be considered in concert when patients are being evaluated for surgery.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of Calgary, Foothills Medical Centre, 1403-29th Street NW, Calgary, AB, T2N-2T9, Canada

    W. Donald Buie MD, MSC, FRCSC, FACS & Anthony R. MacLean MD, FRCSC, FACS

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  1. W. Donald Buie MD, MSC, FRCSC, FACS
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  2. Anthony R. MacLean MD, FRCSC, FACS
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Correspondence to W. Donald Buie MD, MSC, FRCSC, FACS .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery Department of Surgery, Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, WA, USA

    Scott R. Steele MD

  2. Division of Colorectal Surgery Department of Surgery, UMass Memorial Medical Center University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

    Justin A. Maykel MD

  3. Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery Department of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Bradley J. Champagne MD

  4. Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Science Center LSU School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Guy R. Orangio MD

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Buie, W.D., MacLean, A.R. (2014). Perioperative Risk Assessment. In: Steele, S.R., Maykel, J.A., Champagne, B.J., Orangio, G.R. (eds) Complexities in Colorectal Surgery. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9022-7_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9022-7_2

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