A Preoperative Stress Inquiry and a Vulnerable US Military Population

The preoperative setting is fraught with many stressors, often increasing in magnitude as patients progress through the perioperative environment. Individuals exposed to traumatic or threatening environments, such as US military personnel involved in combat operations, may be at increased risk of developing altered mental and physical health conditions. Collectively, this may result in a hyperarousal state significantly amplifying psychological symptoms and magnifying physiological alterations. The purposes of this article are to (1) describe stress-related concepts and preoperative stress, (2) discuss potential risk factors for preoperative stress in the adult surgical population, (3) present various psychological and physiological measures of preoperative stress, (4) explore preoperative stress interventions, and (5) discuss potential implications for future preoperative stress research in high-stressed populations.