Valoración anestésica preoperatoria y preparación del paciente quirúrgico

The recently published “Helsinki Declaration on Patient Safety in Anesthesiology” establishes that the safety and quality of the perioperative care received by patients is the responsibility of anesthesiologists. This declaration has been accepted by all the European societies of anesthesiology and stipulates that all institutions providing perioperative anesthesia care to patients should design protocols to guide perioperative patient management. The present article aims to provide an evidenced-based review of preoperative assessment and preparation and to propose a protocol that can be adapted to the needs of each hospital and be incorporated into their routine practice. Emphasis is placed on the importance of correct preoperative evaluation in reducing morbidity and mortality in the surgical patient. This task can be aided by the use of preoperative questionnaires and the rational use of preoperative tests, which will also reduce unnecessary costs. Finally, the most widely accepted recommendations on preoperative fasting and the perioperative management of chronic medication are discussed.