Search the library

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

The importance of anaemia depends on its cause and severity, your symptoms and the planned operation.

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

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

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

Tell the team about symptoms, inhalers and recent flare-ups so they can plan your breathing care around surgery.

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

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

Blood thinners need a careful plan that balances bleeding and clotting risks; do not stop them solely because of this website.

The plan depends on the exact medicine, why you take it and your operation; there is no single rule for every blood-pressure tablet.

Water may be allowed under some fasting protocols, but the timing and amount must follow your own hospital’s instructions.

Fasting rules for tea and coffee depend on what they contain and the instructions supplied for your procedure.

Ask which medicines to take and how much water is permitted under the fasting plan for your procedure.

New symptoms, test results or changes in the procedure can lead the team to adjust the anaesthesia plan.

Report a new illness before surgery so the team can decide whether it is safer to proceed or postpone.

Tell the team if pregnancy is possible so they can discuss the procedure, timing and any need for testing with you.

Understand how fasting and surgery affect blood glucose and why your medicines need an individual plan.

Diabetes tablets, injections and insulin need an individual plan for fasting, surgery and blood-glucose monitoring.

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

Tests are chosen to answer clinical questions, taking account of your health and the planned operation.

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

Children need a fasting schedule suited to their age, intake and procedure, following the hospital’s paediatric guidance.

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

These medicines can slow stomach emptying, so the team needs to know your dose, recent changes and any digestive symptoms.

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

Your heart history, current symptoms and treatment help guide assessment and planning before surgery.

Herbal products and supplements can affect anaesthesia and other medicines; bring their packaging or ingredient details.

Your usual readings, medicines and related health problems help the anaesthesia team assess and plan your care.

Tell the anaesthesiologist early and bring any airway alert card, letter or previous anaesthesia record.

Mention your previous experience so the anaesthesiologist can consider preventive measures.

Bring your device details so the team can plan for any interactions with the procedure or surgical equipment.

Explain exactly what caused the reaction and what happened, so the team can choose medicines and materials safely.

Kidney disease can affect fluids, medicines and electrolytes, making coordination before surgery important.

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

Bring your child’s health information and follow the hospital’s instructions about fasting, medicines and recent illness.

Body weight can influence airway management, breathing, positioning and postoperative care.

Sleep apnoea can affect breathing around anaesthesia; tell the team about symptoms, diagnosis and any CPAP or BiPAP use.

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

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

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

Tell the team about these medicines so they can plan around interactions and the risks of interrupting treatment.

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

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

Follow your hospital’s instructions and mention removable dental appliances during the airway assessment.

Some medicines continue, some need adjustment and others may be withheld; ask your treating team for an individual plan.

Stopping smoking before surgery can help; tell the team about smoking, vaping and nicotine products.

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

Regular steroid treatment can affect the body’s response to surgery and may require an individual perioperative plan.

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

Tell the team about your thyroid treatment, recent dose changes and any symptoms that may need assessment.

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

Understand why you should follow your hospital’s instructions and tell the team if you have chewed gum while fasting.

Learn what hospitals commonly mean by clear liquids and why their permitted-drinks lists can differ.

A pre-anaesthesia assessment helps identify and manage risk; it cannot guarantee that surgery is risk-free.

Find out what to expect when the team reviews your history, examines you, checks reports and makes a plan.

Tell the anaesthesia team what you had, how much and when, so they can decide the safest next step.

An unexpected finding may lead to further checks, treatment or follow-up, depending on your situation.

Understand how the assessment reviews your health and helps the anaesthesia team plan your care.

Bring your medicine details, relevant reports and records of any previous problems with anaesthesia.

Learn which symptoms, previous experiences and health details are especially important to mention.

Understand common fasting principles and why the instructions for your own procedure take priority.

Repeated checks help confirm that important details about medicines, allergies, fasting and health have not been missed.

Learn why fasting matters and how the instructions help reduce the risk of stomach contents entering the lungs.

A blood count can identify anaemia and other abnormalities that may matter when planning your care.

HbA1c helps assess recent blood-glucose control, but it is not a stand-alone pass or fail test for surgery.

These tests can help the team plan fluids and medicines when your health or procedure makes them relevant.

Chest imaging or lung tests may answer a specific clinical question; the appropriate test list varies between patients and settings.

An ECG records the heart’s electrical activity and may help the team assess findings relevant to your operation.

An echocardiogram may help answer a specific question about heart function, symptoms or a known heart condition.

Understand why further assessment or treatment may sometimes be needed before an operation can proceed.

A cardiology opinion may clarify a heart problem or help guide the timing and management of surgery.

The assessment and the anaesthetic may involve different clinicians, depending on how your hospital organises care.