• Raul A Rivera, Mai T Nguyen, Jorge I Martinez-Osorio, Matthew F McNeill, Sayed K Ali, and Ishak A Mansi.
• Internal Medicine Service, Department of Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, TX, USA. raul.rivera@amedd.army.mil
• Am. J. Surg. 2012 Nov 1;204(5):787-97.

BackgroundThe increasing complexity of medical and surgical care often demands comprehensive preoperative work-ups by medical consultants and detailed management recommendations to optimize the patient's medical ailments before surgery. This article aims to review the available evidence and discuss elements of the preoperative medical consultation that are of particular relevance to surgeons.MethodsThe authors performed a comprehensive review of the available medical literature and guidelines pertaining to preoperative medical management and present a narrative summary of their findings.ResultsAlthough many preoperative recommendations are based on expert opinion and consensus, a growing number of studies and clinical practice guidelines provides direction as to what is the best management of patients with medical problems before surgery.ConclusionsCollaborative efforts and adequate communication between the medical and surgical teams are necessary to ensure appropriate patient management before surgery. Although higher-risk patients may require thorough preoperative evaluations, extensive routine investigations may not always be necessary.Published by Elsevier Inc.

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