A preoperative checklist in esthetic plastic surgery

Abstract

The authors present a checklist to be used at the last stage of a preoperative visit for esthetic plastic surgery composed of 29 yes/no questions, four blank spaces for entering data, and one question for ranking the level of risk of deep vein thrombosis. The criteria are divided into three tables relating to three areas: anesthesia, psychological aspects, and clinical risk factors. The answers are framed in four colors that identify the level of risk and suggest the degree of attention warranted. A fourth aggregate table contains reference sources which can be easily accessed during a medical visit via the Internet or a portable device equipped with a medical database software. The purpose of the checklist is to reduce the possibility of adverse events involving the surgical process by identifying the risk level of each item reviewed.(AU)^ien