Is the pediatric preoperative hematocrit determination necessary?
The usefulness of the preoperative hematocrit determination as a screening test before outpatient pediatric surgical procedures has been questioned. It has been suggested that a careful history and physical examination are of greater importance than routine laboratory tests in determining a child's fitness for surgery. We evaluated the utility of preoperative measurement of hematocrit as a screening test for surgical fitness in healthy children having a variety of elective outpatient surgical procedures.
Baron
M J
MJ
Department of Anesthesiology, St. Louis Children's Medical Center, Mo.
Gunter
J
J
White
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006400:Hematocrit / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies