Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Risk assessment in adults who are about to undergo elective surgery (other than cardiac and thoracic procedures) involves history-taking, physical examination, and ancillary studies performed for individual indications. Further testing beyond the history and physical examination is often of low predictive value for perioperative complications. ⋯ In preoperative risk assessment, the history and physical examination are the strongest predictors of perioperative complications. Ancillary tests are indicated on an individual basis if the history and physical examination reveal that significant disease may be present.
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Comparative Study
Hip and knee replacement in Germany and the USA: analysis of individual inpatient data from German and US hospitals for the years 2005 to 2011.
The number of hip and knee replacement operations is rising in many industrialized countries. To evaluate the current situation in Germany, we analyzed the frequency of procedures in Germany compared to the USA, with the aid of similar case definitions and taking demographic differences into account. ⋯ There are major differences between Germany and the USA in the frequency of these operations. The observed upward trend in elective primary hip replacement operations was mostly due to demographic changes in Germany; non-demographic factors exerted a stronger influence in the USA than in Germany. With respect to primary knee replacement surgery, non-demographic factors exerted a comparably strong influence in both countries.