Laboratory Testing and Pre-op Evaluations
There are many common lab tests which are ordered to assess patients in the preoperative period. Some common tests include:
CBC
Complete Blood Count
This is a test that measures your red blood cell count or hematocrit, platelets count and white blood cell count. The hematiocrit is important as red blood cells carry oxygen in the blood. Platelets are important for bleeding and white blood cells are an important part of the immune system.
Electrolytes
The common electrolytes sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, chloride are sometimes tested. Certain medical conditions may place patients at risk for abnormalities in these electrolytes and sometimes they can be corrected before surgery.
Creatine
This is a marker of kidney function and may be important to measure if you have a history of diabetes, hypertension or kidney disease.
Blood sugar is very important to measure and control in patients with diabetes. Sometimes a new diagnosis of diabetes may be made with preoperative testing. If you have diabetes your doctor will probably test your blood sugar before, during, and after surgery. Your doctors will also give you instructions regarding the medication you normally use to control your blood sugar such as oral hypoglycemics and insulin.
Bleeding tests
These are done to assess your risk of bleeding in surgery. They also provide an indirect assessment of liver function as the blood clotting proteins are generally produced in the liver.
PT/aPTT/INR
Liver Enzymes
These enzymes are sometimes measured to assess the function of the liver in certain patients.
Urinalysis
This test is sometimes done to get an assessment of kidney function.
Imaging Studies
This is an electrical picture of your heart. It may show if you have had a heart attack or heart damage in the past and may also show if you may be at risk of heart damage at the present time. It is often used as a screening test.
This is a imaging study which can give an assessment of both heart and lung function.
Exercise Treadmill Study
This is a study of heart function and is used by heart doctors to assess heart function.
Persantine Thallium Scan
This is another study of heart function which is usually used in patients who cannot perform a treadmill study.
Echocardiogram
This is an ultrasound of the heart. It has broad applications in the study of the heart. In heart surgery and some other surgeries anesthesiologists use an echocardiogram to study the heart during surgery.
Stress Echocardiogram
This is an echocardiogram which studies the heart while a medication is given to increase the heart rate. This study evaluates the heart and gives an assessment of coronary artery disease as well as the function of the heart.