Pre-operative anesthetic assessment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

The management and surgical interventions of problems directly or indirectly arising from rheumatoid arthritis vary drastically. Anesthesiologists and rheumatologists should be aware of the peculiarities of the anesthetic preoperative assessment of these patients, including the assessment of possible disorders of the airways, in addition to the intra-operative management and analysis of relevant pharmacological parameters. It is critical that the anesthetist is familiar with the peculiarities of the disease and the specific characteristics of drugs used in its treatment: thus, he/she will be able to plan the best possible anesthetic technique for the surgery in question, offering safety and comfort to his/her patient. It is up to the rheumatologist to know the procedure to which the patient will be submitted to and be aware of the most appropriate anesthetic technique in each case. This will allow a better interaction between the rheumatologist and the anesthesiologist in the pre-anesthetic evaluation, through the sharing of relevant information on the articular and systemic involvement by the disease that might interfere with preoperative and intraoperative management. Furthermore, the information on the pre-anesthetic assessment and the choice of anesthetic technique will enable the rheumatologist to clarify any doubts that his/her patient and family may have, as well as to guide them as to whether or not the medications in use should be maintained, and eventually about the need for a supplemental dose of corticosteroid. The objective of this review is to acquaint the rheumatologist with key concepts related to the anesthetic preoperative assessment of patients diagnosed with RA, mainly including general notions that dictate the choice of the anesthetic technique.