FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

Clinician Reference

ARISCAT

Review the ARISCAT factors and risk categories used to estimate postoperative pulmonary complications.

Review the six RCRI factors and the limitations of using a risk score in individual perioperative assessment.

STOP-Bang screens for obstructive sleep apnoea risk; it does not diagnose OSA or determine fitness for surgery.

Consider what decision a test will change and use investigation guidelines within their stated patient and procedure scope.

Compare fasting guidance for elective patients, including differences between adult and paediatric protocols.

Identify ingredients and potential interactions, then use product-specific evidence to guide perioperative decisions.

Plan continuity of neurological medicines, including dose timing and alternatives when oral administration is interrupted.

Review medicine-specific interactions and the consequences of interruption when planning psychiatric treatment around surgery.

Antiplatelet management depends on the indication, bleeding risk and coronary stent history, rather than a universal hold time.

Review how procedure bleeding risk, renal function and regional anaesthesia affect interruption and restarting of DOACs.

Review interruption, bridging considerations and restart planning in the context of bleeding and thromboembolic risk.

Review the individual assessment of delayed gastric emptying and aspiration risk when planning GLP-1-based treatment around surgery.

Insulin requires a regimen-specific plan for dosing, monitoring and delivery throughout fasting and surgery.

Review perioperative guidance for oral glucose-lowering medicines, including drug-specific exceptions.

Review interruption before scheduled surgery, perioperative ketoacidosis risk and considerations for restarting treatment.

Compare differing guideline recommendations and the patient-specific factors that inform a perioperative metformin plan.

Perioperative decisions depend on the indication, blood-pressure control, heart failure and surgical risk.

Review perioperative continuation of statins and initiation when there is an established long-term indication.

Review guidance on established beta-blocker therapy and the timing of treatment when a new indication arises.