Journal Title: تابستان 86 Article title: Review Article: Surgeons’ Responsibilities in Perioperative Assessment of Surgical Patients
Article PDF File: Page From: 1 To: 15
Article abstract: There has been a worldwide increase of longevity in the recent decades. Statistically ischemic heart disease and other heart problems has also increased dramatically, and is said to be number one killer in industrial and semi-industrial countries. So any patient that undergoes surgery may have an active or silent coronary artery disease; this should be diagnosed and treated or guarded against preoperatively, the second distressing problem that may need treatment is pulmonary problems as the second more common postoperative complication.
Other diseases that needs to be recognized and treated preoperatively are diabetes mellitus; hypertension and renal disease. The increasing number of geriatric patients, besides their age; may have other comorbidities that need special attention and treatment, so is their nutritional status.
Nutritional problem and cachexia makes them more susceptible to the stress and hypermetabolic state that surgery can produce. So the surgeon should be aware of all the risks and complications that the patient can face with them.
Some of the patients are on different medications that some should be continued, and some either stopped or replaced with other medications.
It is quite rational that all surgeons have a good view of their patients' problems; so they could be treated on time or be referred to other especialities for consultation and treatment. It is true that most of the patients comorbidities are in the field of other especialities; but the surgeon is on a whole, responsible for what happens to his patient and what would be the outcome of surgery.
