Examens préopératoires en pédiatrie

Recently, national French recommendations have clarified the indications for preoperative routine, including the pediatric field. Because of the low incidence of cardiorespiratory disease in children, the attention is mainly focused on the diagnosis of congenital or acquired coagulopathies. Clinical examination and personal and familial history of the patient are essential. Before the walking age, because of the short history, this step is probably not sufficient to evaluate the quality of hemostasis. This is the only indication of systematic preoperative tests including blood count and coagulation tests. After this age, whatever the surgery and anaesthetic technique, no study has shown any contribution of laboratory tests of hemostasis in an asymptomatic child with no personal or family history. It is the same for blood count, electrolytes, creatinine and glycemia, in the absence of clinical sign.