By evaluating patients before surgery at Germantown Primary HealthCare, we can stratify them based on risk level. Some patients are classified as high-risk, which means they’re more likely to develop complications.
Identifying these patients and ordering the right tests for them is essential. Doing so will help us prepare properly and stabilize them before they go in for surgery. Additionally, the team of surgeons and anesthesiologists will have a plan that includes expected potential complications, which should allow them to act faster if they occur.
Low-risk patients are usually those who are young and don’t have any chronic medical conditions. For these, the risk of complications is lower, and the recovery time is usually shorter. Low-risk patients will need fewer tests before surgery.
Taking down the patient’s history and physically examining the patient is an important part of the evaluation; we don’t just skip to tests. We ask about things like chronic medical conditions, medications, smoking and drinking habits, occupation, and of course, age.
Ordering many tests is unnecessary and considered a waste of resources both for the patient and the healthcare system. Knowing which test to order for a particular patient is why we’re here.
Measuring a patient’s hemoglobin is almost always done. Some people have undiagnosed anemia, which can be worsened during surgery where bleeding is expected. Kidney and liver function tests are not routinely done for everyone.
We assess the blood glucose levels of people who are 45 years or older. ECGs are done for those 40 years or older. If someone younger than 40 has an indication in their medical history for an ECG, then we’ll perform it. A urine pregnancy test is done for most women of childbearing age.
These are the most well-known tests. Further assessments are based on individual cases. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, and we’ll certainly help you out.
